See also: Fontainebleau (homonymy)
The forest of Fontainebleau is an important wooded solid mass of 25.000 ha, including 21.600 ha of national forest, located in Seine-et-Marne, whose town of Fontainebleau is the center. The national forest itself covers 17.072 ha at an altitude varying from 42 m (the Seine with Wood-the-King) to 144 m (Crossroads of the Bench of the King, 2 km in the north of Fontainebleau).
It is crossed by the Autoroute A6 (1964), the national 6 and 7 as well as the railroad from Paris to Lyon. Each year 17 million visitors comes to walk there.
In 1067, the capétien Philippe Ier acquires the county of the Gâtinais, which makes it possible the royal capacity to control the whole of the territory of the current forest. In 1167, one attests the existence of a remains royal.
In 1400, Charles VI orders the first reformation of the forest, i.e. the complete closing of forest space for a few months, in order to check the rights and uses of each one on game and wood. This exceptional procedure will renew many times under the Old Mode.
At the time of Louis XIV, less than 20% of the surface is wooded. Colbert lance a new reformation from June to September 1664 as well as building sites of plantation. The king traverses the forest then each year in autumn for hunting.
In 1716, following the terrible winter of the year 1709, a new installation of the forest is promulgated: 6.000 ha are planted leafy trees, but that proves to be an almost total failure. A new installation is started again in 1750. In 1786, a shy person introduction of woodland pines is tried.
After the Revolution, following many wild cuts and the proliferation of game for lack of hunting, Napoleon i reform forest administration and that of the castle in 1807. In 1830, the plantation of 6.000 other ha pine causes the grogne artists who come to seek the inspiration in forest. In addition, the pond in Évées is completely drained and refitted in 1837.
In 1839, Claude François Denecourt makes appear its first guide of walk in forest and arrange the first paths in 1842. As of 1849, the railroad arrives at Fontainebleau, which will make it possible Parisian to visit Fontainebleau by excursions at the day.
In 1861 is created the artistic first reserve of 1.097 ha. It constitutes the first natural reserve in the world, before even the creation of the National park of Yellowstone to the the United States.
In 1872, the first Committee of protection artistic of the forest of Fontainebleau is set up, to which adheres, inter alia, Victor Hugo. He succeed in 1907 the Association of the friends of the forest of Fontainebleau.
In 1953, the first directed and integral biological reserves are created, to replace the artistic reserves, removed in 1967.
the trees most represented are: the Oak S (45 %), the woodland Pine (40 %), the Beech (10 %).
Brachypode (Brachypodium pinnatum)
Most of the woodland pines was planted by the National office of the forests.
Among large the Mammalian S, one finds Sanglier S and stag S.
Peak épeiche (Dendrocopos major),
Various statutes coexist and are superimposed, each one having characteristics which are clean for him.
These statutes do not cover the whole of the forest but only various more or less interesting pieces at the environmental and economic level.
Maintenance of the current use of the obligatory ground. Any modification attacking the medium is prohibited.Natura 2000 (Special Protection zone and Special Zone of Conservation):
Reserve of biosphere:
ZNIEFF (Natural Zone of Faunistic and Floristic Ecological Interest):
Site classified:
biological Reserve:
voluntary Natural reserve, significant Natural space or Order of the prefect of protection of biotope.
Associations claim the classification in National park, which would revitalize the local economy, would improve protection of the forest and of its remarkable aspects, would allot finacements and would distribute the tourist pressure currently too specific.
However, the strong parcelling out by the highway network, with the harmful effects which accompany it, as well as other factors, slow down its realization.
the sandstone is exploited since 1330. As of XVIe century, it is exploited for the paving of the streets of Paris. In 1831, one still embarks: 3000000 of paving stones.
At the end of the XIXe century, under the pressure of the artists, one restricts the activity of career which counted 2.000 men then. In 1907, last firm exploitation. With the Three-Pinions, one closes in 1983.
Roads of walks exist in the forest, probably since XVIe century. They are used then primarily for the hunt. The current round road is thus traced under the crook of Henri IV. In 1725, Louis XV orders the layout of sixty roads in the forest, in order to facilitate its displacements, always for hunting.
In 1837, a guide of Jamin appears: Four walks in forest of Fontainebleau . At that time, the only known path is that of the Acute Mount.
Today, 365 km of walks are marked out.
The forest of Fontainebleau is an internationally known place for the climbing of block. This discipline is practiced on blocks of rocks a low height and does not require a cord (but other means) for the insurance. It is practiced on the blocks of sandstones characteristic of this forest.
One of the characteristics of the climbing to '' Bleau '' (nickname given by the climbing ones to the forest of Fontainebleau) is the existence of course. These courses of various levels are marked out using arrows of various colors. A complete course was supposed in the beginning to correspond to the difficulty of a race of Alpinisme in mountain. The first course was created in 1947 by certain Fred Bernick. Each color represents a level of difficulty: yellow (easy or not very difficult), orange (enough difficult), blue (difficult), red (very difficult), black (extremely difficult).
The sectors of climbing are distributed in all the forest. Among most known: the Low-Vat, Throats of Apremont (Barbizon), Franchard Isatis (in the throats of Franchard between Fontainebleau and Milly-the-Forest), 95.2 (Milly-the-Forest), the Bottom of Dog (Noisy-on-School), Diplodocus (Vaudoué). Certain sectors are even apart from the forest of Fontainebleau itself: the rock of Lady Jouanne (Larchant), Buthiers (Malesherbes)…
See also: Climbing in Forest of Fontainebleau
the Denecourt tower: built by Claude François Denecourt in 1851, inaugurated the November 23rd 1853 by Napoleon III and the empress Eugenie, it was destroyed in 1878 by an earthquake. Rebuilt by Colinet, of many restored times, it allows beautiful points of view on the area.
the forest of the Three-Pinions in the west
By its proximity with Paris and the diversity of its landscapes, the forest of Fontainebleau, inspired by many artists and renewed the design of the Paysage in painting, with in particular the painters of the school of Barbizon.
The first known artists were Adams Frans Van der Meulen (1632 - 1690), and especially, Jean-Baptiste Oudry (1686 - 1755), primarily painters of the scenes of royal hunting in the decoration of the forest. Camille Corot (1796 - 1875) is one of the first to take as main theme the forest itself.
Starting from the medium of, several artists come to paint the forest, benefitting from the facilities that the inn Ganne offers to them. Most known carry the names of Theodore Rousseau and Jean-François Millet, formant what one will call well later (in 1880 in England and 1905 in France) the school of Barbizon.
The impressionist were also inspired there like Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir and Alfred Sisley. Of the same Felix Ziem, Paul Cézanne and Georges Seurat made several tables in the forest.
Certain sites were particularly painted, like the place known as the Paving stone of Chailly , in skirt of forest.
Charles Marville (1816-1879) is the first photographer to be ventured in forest, on August 28th 1848. Gustave the Gray, most famous of the photographers of this time, follows it quickly, in 1849, fleeing an cholera epidemic in Paris. The forest of Fontainebleau is thus probably one of the first natural spaces photographed in the world. After Gray will come Georges Balagny, Charles Famin, William Harrison or Eugene Cuvelier. But these photographers will never reach the notoriety of the painters of the same time.
Traditionally, it is Etienne Pivert of Senancour which locates its novel Obermann , published in 1804, for the first time in forest. But the romantic ones are the first writers to find in the forest a source of inspiration.
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