Forest of Isle-Adam

The forest of Isle-Adam is a main forest of 1548 hectares located in the Val-d'Oise, to 25 km in the north of Paris. It constitutes with the solid masses of Montmorency and Carnelle one of the three principal domanial main forests of the Val-d'Oise.

Physical geography

The forest is located on a Butte-témoin consisted of 4 tilted plates of the flat of France at south-east at the valley of the Oise at the North-West and knows extreme altitudes varying from 25 to 195 Mr. It should be noted that one finds neither pond there, nor river.

Administrative geography

The forest of Isle-Adam extends on 9 communes from the Val-d'Oise:

Fauna and flora

The forest is mainly made up of Chêne S (60% of the settlement), as well as Châtaignier S, Frêne S, Charme S, Hêtre S, Tilleul S… The presence of the coniferous trees remains anecdotic (less 2 %).

Fauna: Roe-deer S, some Wild boar S, Fox S, Badger X, Pheasant S, wood pigeons, rabbits…

Geology

Like its neighbor the Forest of Montmorency, the forest of Isle-Adam was exploited a long time for his Gypse and its stone Calcaire. Any activity ceased for a long time, nevertheless there remain many traces about it. Certain careers were transformed into Champignonnière S; only a remainder in activity with Méry-on-Oise. The underground working of the gypsum left several Fonti S through the solid mass. One also extracted the Sable, near banks of the Oise. The Gravière S were rehabilitated since.

History

The solid mass always seems to have been known under this name.

Its territory is occupied as of the Préhistoire as the existence of the Pierre-Punt (covered Allée) attests it.

Philippe IV Beautiful the came to drive out, in particular, in forest of Isle-Adam when it resided at the Abbaye of Maubuisson. The forest also accommodated tournaments until under the reign of François Ier which attended the one of them.

In 1526, François 1st, king de France offers to the forest to his/her friend the constable Anne de Montmorency. The field knows the destiny of the surrounding strongholds thereafter: with died of last descending from the Montmorency in October 1632, the field becomes stronghold of the Condé, then princes of Conti. The latter, large amateurs of hunting, make arrange the forest at the 17th century: enclosing wall 25 km length and 2,70m top accompanied by " jump of loup" to protect game, rectilinear alleys traced by Ours, star crossroads for the appointments of the crews… The forest will be well maintained until 1783. It enters the public domain and becomes domanial with the Revolution.

The painter Paysagiste Theodore Rousseau takes as a starting point the forest in 1846 at the time of a stay at Jules Dupre with Isle-Adam. (an avenue, forest of Isle-Adam; Paris - Museum of Orsay).

The Hunt is prohibited there by decree in 1936.

The forest suffered from construction in the years 1980 of N184, expressway of avoidance of the valley of the Oise, which now divides it into two distinct solid masses. It is also crossed by two less important road ways, secondary road 922 on the level of the wood of Cassan and secondary road 64 (avenue of Paris).

Remarkable places

remarkable Trees:

- The large oak: this 550 years old tree and 10 m circumference is drawn up close to the crossroads of the House of Paris. - Lime: vis-a-vis the netting of the field of the Catches, this remarkable tree measures 25 m height for a circumference of 7,30 Mr. It is approximately 250 years old.

The castle of Forgets , 1893. It was built for Geoges Manchez, writer with the newspaper Time . It is used as refuge with the resistant ones during the second world war, which will be worth with its owner, Géo Grandjean, to be shot in 1941. Little before the release city, on August 23rd, four young people resistant is also shot at the entry field.

the Pierre-Punt

This beautiful monument Mégalithique was excavated as from 1926 and was restored in 1971. It measures more than 12 m length and more than 2 m broad and is composed of three tables of cover and a room preceded by a hall accessible by a perforated flagstone. The unit is gone back to 1960 years before our era. The remainders of more than 100 individuals were exhumed by it. The objects were entrusted to the Musée prehistory in Ile-de-France with Nemours. the sepulchral alley of White-Valley

This shady walk is similar, but twice smaller, in Pierre Turquaise, in close Forêt of Carnelle.

the crossroads of the post of the tower

Not far from the culminating point of the forest (195 m), he recalls the existence of a tower of 3 stages, known as tower of Nerville, built for princes de Conti so that their guests can follow huntings.

the table of Cassan

Located in a clearing of the wood of Cassan from which 16 roads leave, the star of Conti, this table of Vénerie gave the possibility to the riders of going down from their mounting without being made débotter by their servants. Its presence is attested since 1766. It is moved temporarily in 1944 to protect it from the allied bombardments.

the forest house of the Wood-Square

Beautiful sight on the Forest of Carnelle.

the castle of the Catches

The castle of the Catches, built with the site of a priory of the 12th century, was quickly abandoned. Balzac quotes it in its work by evoking “a disastrous place given up by the men” . There does not remain any vestige today about it.

habits of Montsoult

This private forest enclave in the middle of the domanial solid mass is currently with the state of waste land.

the Sunk fence

In the vicinity, the revolving road of the Sunk fence skirts the vestiges of the " Sunk fence " , formed together of a ground hillock supported by a wall and of a ditch, the purpose of which was, with the long wall of 25 km, to insulate the solid mass and to protect its game which could not escape from it… and prevented the wolf from penetrating there.

the Cross Saint-Anthony

Pattée Romance cross, symbol of the French Vexin, it is located at the crossing of the way of the insane companies and wolf cubs, with the entry of the forest.

Installation

Two very borrowed cycle tracks cross the forest:

- one of 2,5 km along D64;

- realized in exclusive right of way between the crossroads of Malmaison and the crossroads of Carries-Baillet (1,5 km).

See too

Forest
List of the principal forests of France

External bonds

Site of the National office of the forests
the forest of Isle-Adam seen of the sky (Google Maps)

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