the Rock-Guyon is a common Frenchwoman located in the department of the Val-d'Oise and the area Île-de-France, with the borders of the Normandy. The inhabitants are called Guyonnais and Guyonnaises.

Below located cliffs of the plate of Vexin on Right Bank of a meander of the the Seine, the village is famous for its castle, property as of Rochefoucauld, dominated by a medieval Donjon. The place, classified among the most beautiful villages of France, became at the 19th century a holiday resort and saw ravelling many celebrities of arts and letters.

Geography

Description

The commune of the Rock-Guyon is located in the south-west of the Val-d'Oise, with the borders of the Île-de-France and the Normandy, with the junction of the three departments of the Val-d'Oise, the Yvelines and the the Eure. It is with approximately 66 kilometers in the North-West of Paris and with 40 kilometers in the west of Pontoise. The village is located in the hollow of a Méandre of the the Seine, on Right Bank of the river, with the foot of a escarpée chalky cliff which delimits the edge of the plate of the French Vexin. The Rock-Guyon is the most Western village of the department of the Val-d'Oise, and the Seine in the west of the commune is the point low of the department to 13 meters of altitude (average coast).

The communes bordering are Amenucourt in north, Chérence in the North-East, High-Isle in the east, Moisson in south-east, Freneuse and Gommecourt in south-west (these three last communes belonging to the Yvelines), and Gasny (the Eure) in the west.

The communal territory includes/understands three part definitely delimited by the Relief:

  • bottom of the alluvial valley of the Seine at an altitude varying of 23 meters in the center of the village to 16 meters on bank of the river; it is there that is the inhabited area, village and castle;
  • the plate in the northern part at an altitude culminating with 123 meters plumb with the castle, being maintained between 120 and 130 meters more in north, with deep notches due to the erosion which formed of the talwegs turned towards Epte which runs in the North-East; this zone is mainly occupied by the regional forest of the Rock-Guyon;
  • between the two, the cliff, very cut out, occupies a width of approximately 250 meters for uneven from 80 to 100 meters; it is prolonged towards the west by a narrow peak between the valley of the Seine to the south and that of the Epte in north.

The rural areas including/understanding approximately for half of wood in north (the wood of the Rock, communal forest) and of the cultivated grounds (primarily of the cereal culture ) occupied 431,14 hectares in 1999 is 93% of communal surface. Among the 7% of urban space (32,82 hectares), 45,9% consisted of not built zones, of the gardens primarily, 27,2% of continuous habitat low, 13,2% of individual habitat, 0,4% of boves (habitat troglodyte) and 13,7% devoted to the equipment, primarily the car parks, and transport, especially the surface occupied by the road infrastructures.

Communication network

The road communications are ensured by two secondary roads: the secondary road 913 which connect Vétheuil to Gasny and cross the center of the village and the secondary road 100 which connects Vétheuil to the Bonnières-on-Seine by the plate; it constitutes between Chérence and the Rock-Guyon the “road of the peaks”. A service of bus (Busval of Oise, line 95-11) serves the commune in week and ensures of the correspondences with the trains in Gare of Mantes-the-Pretty.

A Path of great excursion, the GR. 2, crosses the village of is in west. This path which follows northern bank of the Seine between Le Havre and Paris continuous towards the east in direction of Vétheuil by the peak of cliff. From this path towards north the “GR. is detached from country from the valley from Epte” which crosses the forest of the Rock-Guyon. The territory of the commune does not have any cycle track and crossed forever by a line of Railroad.

These terrestrial infrastructures have an impact very limited in sound term of Pollution, the commune not being concerned with the classification of the infrastructures considering its weak road traffic (less: 5000 vehicles per day).

Industrial geology and risks

The Géologie of the commune is that of the French Vexin, constitutive of the Paris basin and characterized by its sedimentary nature .

The basement includes/understands several types of superimposed rocks. The first is the white Craie Campanien, oldest, going back to approximately 80 million years and approximately eighty meters thickness, which levels in the funds of valleys. It is surmounted by a layer Calcaire Montien (65 million years), stone to build vexinoise par excellence, then by the layers of Argile and Sable of the Yprésien, whose clays of the Sparnacien, thick from five to fifteen meters, their impermeable character causes the appearance of lines of sources and returns the funds of marshy valleys. This layer is surmounted by the sand of the Cuisien, from ten to thirty meters thicknesses.

One finds then the important mass calcareous of the Lutétien, a thickness from twenty to forty meters, and which constitutes the base of the plate of Vexin. Its presence explains the existence of ic phenomena Karst. The layers of the Bartonien which succeed to him (40 million years) see to alternate the sandstone and Auversien sands it, then the limestone of Saint-Ouen, and finally sands of the Marinésien, thick from five to thirty meters.

The various sedimentary layers are notched by the valleys of the the Seine and the Epte, whose bottom consists of Alluvions. Those visible with the Rock-Guyon are old, coarse, rich in gravels, and thick several tens of meters.

The commune includes/understands three industrial sites or of services but no site is listed on the database of the ministry for ecology relating to the sites and grounds polluted (or potentially polluted) calling an action of the public authorities, with preventive measure or curative (BASOL).

Natural hydrography and risks

The communal territory is bordered in the south by the the Seine over a length of a little less than three kilometers. The river which was formerly marked out several islands partly was rectified and channeled: the island of the Young ladies in the east and the island with Oxen in the west were joined together in Right Bank.

The geographical location of the village makes the commune particularly vulnerable to natural risks high: all the alluvial plain including/understanding the village is at the consecutive risk of Inondation to a Crue of the Seine, and the cliffside dominating it, particularly friable, is high-risk of movement of ground.

The drinking water of the Rock-Guyon is of underground origin. It is of very bacteriological good quality, not very hard, not very fluorinated, containing few pesticides but with the content of Nitrate S high.

Climate

The Rock-Guyon as all the Île-de-France is subjected to a degraded oceanic Climat. However, the localization of the village at the Western end of the area returns it marked by the Atlantic influence more that the remainder of the Ile-de-France.

Located at the foot of the southern cliff limestones side, its localization constitutes a sheltered medium which explains the relative leniency of the climate compared to the plate of Vexin which dominates it. This last is characterized by a windy climate due to the relative proximity of the Manche and to the climatic extremes marked enough for the area. With the anticyclonic Fall and in Winter per time, the valley of the the Seine knows frequent persistent Brouillard S and temperatures lower than on the plate. In disturbed weather on the other hand, the sheltered situation of the village protects it from the dominant Vent S of west or north and consequently from the cold. The southern orientation full returns the maximum insolation compared to the remainder of the French Vexin. This specificity allows the existence of a Végétation more diversified and rich remarkable in cash.

Heraldic

History

Origins

The name of the village comes from the Latin rupes , rock and of the Anthroponyme Guido, the rock of Guy.

A Gallo-Roman villæ probably exists towards 3rd and 4th centuries after J. - C., but no discovery attests it, even if the plate of Vexin is occupied as of the Préhistoire and sees an important Gallo-Roman network of villæ being established in the French Vexin, with Rhus or Genainville in particular. At the first times of the Christianity, a legend tells that Pience, widow of the owner of the field and more former known character of the history of the Rock, meets Saint Nicaise, the evangelist of the Vexin, contemporary of holy Denis. It then makes dig instead of the meeting a sanctuary, which would be the Nef western of the current vault of the castle.

Small a Nécropole mérovingienne put at the day attests presence of a small human community during the top Moyen-âge.

But it is the Traité Saint-Clearly-on-Epte concluded in 911 which places the site of the Rock in an exceptional strategic position of border vis-a-vis the Duché of Normandy, on Right Bank from the Epte. A first Château troglodytic is built to defend the Île-de-France, territory royal, within the framework of the fortification of Epte. It is described by Suger in these terms:

At the top of an abrupt headland, dominating bank of the large river of the Seine, draws up a dreadful castle and without nobility called the Rock-Guyon. Invisible on its surface, it is dug in a high rock. The skilful hand of the manufacturer spared on leaning mountain, by cutting the rock, a full residence equipped with rare and miserable openings. .

Towards 1190, a keep is built connected to the castle by an underground staircase of a hundred steps dug in cliff, it dominates the valleys of the the Seine and the Epte in an exceptional strategic position. At the 13th century the manor of in bottom is built which makes little by little disappear the castle troglodytic, the unit then constituting with the keep a remarkable double fortress.

Guy of the Rock

The family of Guy of the Rock are the lords of the stronghold of 10th at the 15th century. At the 12th century, Guy of the Rock is faithful vassal of the king Philippe-Auguste, who remains with the castle in 1185 and rewards his honesty by granting to him the right of toll for the Bateau X sailing on the Seine, then the exclusive right of hunting shared with the king in the forest of Arthies. This lord is present at the Bataille of Bouvines in 1214 at the side of the king. The right of Péage gets important incomes with the family of the Rock but of the duties fall on to him: to guarantee the navigability of the river by the maintenance of the Bank S, dredging, then starting from 1480, the Towing of the ships. During the War One hundred Year old, Guy VI of the Rock, familiar of the dolphin, marries Perrette of the River, girl of Office of the River, first Chambellan of the kings Charles V (who died in his arms) and Charles VI. But it is killed with Azincourt on October 25th 1415. Its widow takes party for the Armagnacs like her neighbors of Castle-Strapping man and the Two-Narrow parts. In 1419, Rouen on January 13rd, then Vernon on February 3rd and Mantes on February 8th falls to the hands from the English. A detachment directed by Richard de Beauchamp, count de Warwick is sent in front of the Rock, but is surprised by obstinate resistance met: the castle appears impregnable. After a six month old seat, Henri V of England which remains in Mantes requires an interview of Perette lady: June 20th, it must capitulate, the English threatening to sap the cellars. It receives the proposal to leave the castle, or to lend oath, which it refuses. The chroniclers Jean Juvénal of Ursins and Enguerrand de Monstrelet pay:

At the time, says him lord king, if she wanted for her and her children who estaient young people, to lend oath to him, he would leave them, with her and sesdits children, her pieces of furniture grounds and seigniories; if not it would have its place and its goods; but she, driven of a noble courage, liked better to lose all and from to go away, stripped of all goods she and her children to put itself with his/her children are hands of the enemies of this kingdom and to leave its souverrain lord; thus it left there and her children stripped of all its goods.

Thus the castle is finally occupied by the English in 1419, Perette of the River then joining the court of the “king de Bourges”. In 1404, a new parish church is put in building site with the authorization of the king Charles VI in order to replace the old church, is demolished two years before and is contiguous with the castle; work is stopped in 1419 with the English occupation and only completed, with the economy, in 1520.

The king of England entrusts the seigniory to Guy Bouteillier, which preserves it until in 1439. His/her son succeeds to him until in 1449, date on which the castle is finally taken again by Guy VII of the Rock, wire of Perette lady.

Rebirth at the 17th century

Guy VII of the Rock dies in 1460 without male posterity, his Marie daughter marries in second weddings the chamberlain of the king Louis XI, Bertin de Silly in 1474. The stronghold passes then to the family of Silly, until in 1628, period during which begins an important boom. The castle loses its defensive function and is transformed into residence, which accommodates famous personalities, to the kings of France François Ier and Henri IV.

In October 1493, Bertin de Silly obtains by letters patent thanks to its proximity of the king Charles VIII the establishment of two Foire S annual, mid-June and at the end of November like two Marché S weekly magazines with the Rock. One negotiates there the Blé, the Porc S, and all the ustensils and food products necessary to the local needs. In 1504, a Grenier with salt is authorized by Louis XII. In 1513, the stronghold of Silly is vast: it extends from Copières and Arthies in north with Rolleboise in the south, and from Aincourt and Guernes in the east with Limetz in the west. The lord holds the right of justice and perceives the taxes and incomes.

The boves which constitute convenient refuges are generally inhabited by the peasants and their animals, which get animal heat. Their name would come besides from Latin bovis , bovines, or perhaps of bover , which means to dig as old French. The animals by their urine support the appearance of Salpêtre on the walls of Craie white, exploited in return by the peasants, the village constitutes with 15th and 16th century a significant market where are supplied the Poudrerie S of Île-de-France and of Normandy.

In 1628, the field enters in the possession of the family Rohan-Chub and finally of the family Rochefoucauld in 1659 by the marriage of Jeanne of Plessis-Liancourt with François VII of Rochefoucauld (1634 - 1714). The castle remains in this family until our days, except 1816 with 1829 where it belongs to the dukes of Rohan.

August 6th 1693, a catastrophic collapse of a cliff side destroys several troglodytic dwellings: it makes six victims.

The 18th century

At the 18th century, great work is undertaken with the castle and in the village by the duke Alexandre of Rochefoucauld (1690 - 1762), sixth wire of François VIII of Rochefoucauld and of Madeleine Tellier de Louvois. They are continued then by his/her daughter, Marie-Louise of Rochefoucauld (1716 - 1797), duchess of Enville. The old manor of the Rock-Guyon, of medieval origin, could not be appropriate any more to the duke and for his mother, girl of Louvois, accustomed to the records of the Cour.

The castle is equipped in 1733 with a monumental entry Baroque bored in its Rempart is, it gives on a large staircase giving on the room of the guards and with the parts of reception. In 1739, the main courtyard is surrounded by commun runs which replace the old medieval masonries. But the low court still preserved its medieval appearance, it is thus decided to also refit it. The duke calls upon the architect Louis Villars, who builds stables in the east of 1740 with 1745, very similar to those of Chantilly by their style or their dimensions, the central door is surmounted by a Cheval pulled up carved by Jamay. A large grid of entry is installed, crowned ducal crown and weapons as of Rochefoucauld. Two new houses are then added to the castle, the Villars house (or Fernand house) on the site of an old round tower in the east and the house of Enville, built in “L” on a court, in the west. In 1741, small a observatory is created on the Western terrace.

The village sees its paved streets, then a system of adduction of Eau under pressure is created in 1742: water is collected with Chérence, on the plate of Vexin, then conveyed by a Aqueduc of 3,2 kilometers spanning the cart-track of Wood to a tank dug in cliff, above the commun runs of the castle. It feeds then the kitchens and apartments and is accessible to the inhabitants also feeding the pot and the new fountain of the village, carved by Jamay. Hitherto, the villagers drew directly the water of the the Seine.

Once this carried out work, the duke concentrates on the roadway system: the road of Gasny is bored of 1744 with 1762, as well as the street of the Strap which connects it to the Old Cart-track. The roads are bordered of trees, Noyer S and Orme S, while the banks of the river are planted of Saule S Tilleul S and Peuplier S.

The duchess of Enville then makes arrange a walk in the island with Oxen, in the west of the village. Starting from 1769, a landscape park is arranged in the west and is planted cedars of Lebanon, then a vast park of about fifteen hectares is drawn, including/understanding beautiful a Futaie of noble gasolines, a Glacière, work conceived by the duchess so also giving work to the villagers in these periods of food shortage.

In the middle of the 18th century, the duchy includes/understands the parishes of the Rock, Gommecourt, Clachaloze, Bennecourt, Limetz, Villez, Amenucourt, Roconval, Beauregard, Chérence, Copierres, Montreuil-on-Epte, High-Isle, Chantemesle, Vétheuil, Aincourt, Saint-Martin-the-Garenne, Sandrancourt, Guernes, Moisson, Rolleboise, Méricourt, Freneuse and Bonnières.

The living room of the duchess is very attended by great minds of the Age of Enlightenment, like Turgot, which remained there seven months in 1776 after its disgrace, Condorcet (in 1785 and 1791), the agronomist English Arthur Young, the painter Hubert Robert which have one moment a workshop with the castle, or of Alembert, the Choiseul, the Rohan.

Revolution at 1900

Following the convocation of the general states by the king on January 21st, 1789, Louis-Alexandre of Rochefoucauld, wire of the duchess of Enville, is named appointed by the nobility of the town of Paris; it is one of forty the seven noble ones which meets in the Tiers state on June 25th, 1789. Are also elected appointed with the baillage of Chaumont main Jean-Jacques Feugères, lawyer at the Parliament, as well as the sieurs Andre-François and Nicolas Alexandre Chandelier, masons, for the parish of the Rock-Guyon, composed of 229 fires. During the French revolution, the village took the name of Rock-on- theSeine and becomes on January 15th 1790 Chef-lieu of a transitory canton of twelve communes until in 1801.

Louis-Alexandre of Rochefoucauld votes the civil constitution of the clergy, but it is named president of the departmental council of Paris on October 1st, 1791 and must face the riots caused by the Of Gironde ones. He flees after the internment of the king Louis XVI and his family to the tower of the temple, but stopped with Gisors on September 4th, he knows a tragic destiny being massacred by the rabble under the eyes of his wife, and the duchess, his mother. The day before, Charles of Chub, grandson of the duchess of Enville, had been cut the throat of in the prison of the abbey of Saint-Germain-of-Meadows.

October 2nd 1793, the General advice of Seine-et-Oise orders the destruction of the keep in order to prevent that it does not fall to the hands from the counter-revolutionaries. The keep is levelled of a third, not to measure more that twenty meters nowadays, but the work is not completed, the demolition contracters being itself quickly seems it wearied this work. The fallen stones constitute gone good materials then and are used to build other buildings in the village, current thing at that time, the rare and expensive stone being.

With the Revolution, the Rock-Guyon knows an important change. At the 19th century, the castle evolves/moves little as a whole, on the other hand the village changes: of an important center of trade, with its weekly market with the Pig S and the Corn, it becomes gradually a vacation resort. The houses occupied by the ducal administrations become residences of holidays for Parisian middle-class men.

In 1812, work is undertaken in the church: northern enlarging of the vaults and consolidation of the Bell-tower with installation of a news Bell. Several disastrous crumblings proceed during the century: January 3rd 1810, a side of cliff crumbles on cellars and a house killing a child. Other crumblings take place in 1835 and 1894. In 1832, the village is victim of large the epidemic of Choléra; in three weeks, thirty-two inhabitants succumb about it. The evening of December 12th 1840, the flotilla ordered by the prince de Joinville bringing back the ashes of Napoleon of Sainte-Hélène makes halt with the Rock. In 1841, the last Loup is killed and hung.

At the 19th century, the port of the Rock-Guyon constitutes the river outlet of two industrial activities of the French Vexin: the Career of Calcareous stone of size of Chérence and the rolling mills of Bray-and-Lu, which, actuated by the Epte, produce sheets of Zinc which are stored with the Rock in a warehouse near the port. But the railroad built in the valley of Epte is faster and practical and the river port is quickly forsaken.

In 1819, Lamartine spent the Holy Week with the Rock-Guyon, it written there one of its poetic Meditations. In 1821 then in 1835, Victor Hugo remains at the village, initially as a guest with the castle of the cardinal of Rohan, which it had met two years before with the seminar of Saint-Sulpice, then fourteen years later with the inn. In 1850, the count Georges (1821 - 1861), wire junior by the duke François XIV (1794 - 1874), obtains from its father that it gives up a small enclosure and a house of guard in order to accommodate children convalescents of the hospitals of Paris. Then, in the form asks, it is necessary to rent the surrounding houses. In 1854, the house, baptized later “of Rochefoucauld”, is built. The count Georges dies in 1861 and is buried in the vault of the old people's home, it bequeaths the buildings in naked-property to the community of the sisters of Saint-Vincent-of-Paul, or failing this, with the Public assistance of Paris; it is the latter which inherits it. Consequently, a hundred and eleven children are accommodated and looked after in the buildings, distributed in seven rooms and supervised by ten sisters. In 1890, an additional building is built thanks to a leg of Mr Fortin, in favor of the poor children of the schools congreganists of Paris. The direction was ensured by the director of the hospital Trousseau in Paris.

After the war of 1870, the Rock counts nothing any more but approximately six hundred inhabitants whereas it had some more than thousand the day before the Revolution. The center of the village east nevertheless dedicated to the trade and remains very active in particular the day of the market. One finds there a cabaret, a pharmacy, a baker, a tinman, a butcher, a porkbutcher and one marshal-shoeing close to the town hall. An office of Poste exists since 1826, in appendix of Bonnières. The Rock does not count less than twelve inns, among most important, the Red House , the Keep , the hotel of France , the hotel of the Bridge , the post office building . The poor place in the boves, while the farms of the vine growers are located for the majority on the cart-tracks. The slopes are covered with Vigne S, of which much has a few arpents. The vineyard not very lucrative because is however located on an unfavorable ground, while requiring on the other hand much work. The wine is essentially intended for local consumption. One reaches the village by the suspended bridge on the the Seine, or by borrowing “the patache” on the Right Bank, which puts nearly three hours to traverse the score of kilometers, with frequent stops.

A native of the Rock-Guyon, Auguste Guerbois, opens with the Batignolles in Paris a coffee which becomes famous: he accommodates in his establishment the Groupe of Batignolles, the impressionist painters. One finds there around Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Alfred Sisley and their friends. Towards 1865, Camille Pissarro painted the Walk with asses with the Rock-Guyon and another fabric in the center of the village towards 1867; then in 1880, it carries out a dry point entitled Château of the Rock-Guyon . Claude Monet which places with Vétheuil then with Giverny attends the village regularly; it painted there the Seine between Vétheuil and the Rock-Guyon and the Castle of the Rock-Guyon in 1881. During the summer 1885, it is with the turn of Auguste Renoir to remain at the village, on the floor of the current coffee tobacco; it represents it in Paysage with the Rock-Guyon , before more briefly returning to the village the following year. It also receives Paul Cézanne in June 1885, which undertakes a fabric that it does not complete.

From 1900 to 1940

Forgotten by the Railroad, and having lost almost any river activity, the village knows an important economic decline which, n the other hand, contributes to preserve its site of the urbanization and to affirm the residential vocation and of it tourist. Néanmois, the barges which then do not circulate of night continue to make halt there and the marines, of North and Belgium in particular, remain numerous there. In 1910, the village is him also victim of the floods which touch the area, one circulates then in the boat in the streets drowned under two meters of Eau.

Two successive bridges span the the Seine, broad at this place of 170 meters: the first builds in 1840 functions until in 1914. From 1914 with 1934, a vat connected to a pulley slipping on a cable makes it possible the cars to cross the river; the pedestrians as for them cross by boat. Thanks to the tenacity of the mayors of the time, Louis Guy then Doctor Marcel Petitclerc starting from 1929, the second bridge is put in building site in October 1932 and inaugurated on July 7th 1935. It is about a bridge in Béton with single arch, longest of Europe to its construction. But victim of the second world war, it is dynamited using 400 kg of Cheddite by the French Génie on June 9th 1940 causing extensive damage at the village whose population had not been prevented: : 1400 squares are broken with the castle, 800 with the Hôpital, all the stained glasses of the church are destroyed and the dwellings for are made uninhabitable much. The forever since replaced bridge.

The Second world war

No major fact disturbs the village except the usual enemy requisitions, until the Germans install a station of DCA to the castle on March 17th 1943. The Château of the Rock-Guyon is occupied as from February 1944 by the staff of general the Feldmarechal Erwin Rommel which chooses it like sits of its general headquarter and it finds thus temporarily his military vocation. The village is then occupied by more: 1500 German soldiers for a total of 543 inhabitants, several houses are requisitioned of which the property Lamiral (Beauversant) which shelters the system of radio transmission, or the house Lisch (current house of the children), transformed into hearth of the soldier and offices. Boves are dug with the foot of cliff and shelter ammunition. Separated by thick chalk walls, it are moreover protected by armor-plated doors; splinterproof shields in Béton moreover are laid out in the courses of the castle. The Rommel marshal settles with the house of Enville, it chooses like study the large living room, prolonged by his planted terrace of pinks. The family of Rochefoucauld lives then with the upper floor. According to testimonys inhabitants, Rommel is a Nazi, no flag with swastika does not appear in the village and only the military salute with course, not safety hitlérien.

At the beginning of 1944, Rommel can demolish it inevitable Nazi. During a secret meeting with Karl Heinrich von Stülpnagel, commander-in-chief of the German army in France, the two men agree on the need for reversing the Nazi regime and for putting an end to the war. But their position on the means diverge: Rommel fears a civil war in the case of the assassination of Adolph Hitler. During the weeks which follow, of many secret meetings are held with the castle: Almost each day arrived of the personalities of Reich to express itself freely in the oasis of the staff of Rommel, far from the claws of the Gestapo.

Left in permission close to Ulm on June 4th, 1944, in Bavaria, Rommel returns precipitately with the Rock-Guyon to the news of the unloading combined in Normandy. It meets Hitler close to Soissons on June 17th and wishes to make it come with the Rock with an aim of making it stop; but the dictator prefers to turn over to Germany. July 17th, of return of a round of inspection of the face in Normandy, the car of Rommel is mitraillée by planes allied on the road of Livarot to Vimoutiers. The driver is killed on the blow and the seriously wounded general. After five days of Coma, it is brought to the hospital of Saint-Germain-in-Bush hammer before being transferred to its demand for Germany near its family. The marshal Hans Günther von Kluge arrives on July 19th with the Rock to replace it in his functions. At the time of a dinner on July 20th with the castle, von Kluge refuses to adopt the ideas of von Stulpnagel which wishes to support the rebellion and to capitulate. Following the failure of the attack against Hitler on July 20th, von Kluge commits suicide on August 18th, and Rommel, shown high treason, receives the order to commit suicide on October 30th, 1944 in order to preserve it him and its family of an arrest and a death sentence.

August 18th, 1944, the German army evacuates the village. The Rock-Guyon undergoes then useless a allied Bombardement the evening of August 25th, 1944, the Germans already having then left all the places; sixty-four bombs strike the village and the eight castle. The bombardment destroys the oldest house of the village going back to 1520, the commun runs of the castle are destroyed, the roof of the stables crumbles and the castle itself is broken, but the village does not deplore any victim, the boves having, faithful to their use, been used as shelters.

From 1945 to our days

After war, long restorations are committed in priority, the field having been classified historic building on January 6th 1943. The parts the least reached are put out of water, then work follows one another: the square tower in 1946, the cover of the main staircase and the passage of the vault in 1948, part of the interiors of 1948 with 1953, stables in 1956, commun runs in 1959.

The last harvest of reason takes place towards 1950, the vineyard of the Rock which covered forty hectares of slopes in 1900 having resisted the Phylloxéra which decimates the vine francilienne at the beginning of the century but not with the disease of “short-tied” which destroys the last Cep S. the wine of the Rock “small Couillotin” because of its stony taste due to the Silex was named. Abricot iers replace a time the vine but the slopes turn over quickly in waste land.
During the Years 1960, Technocrate S imagine the creation of a Brasilia with the Frenchwoman, gathering ministry and administrations; but the project will remain fortunately without continuation. The place is also the framework of the Cartoon the diabolic Trap of Edgar P. Jacobs published in 1960 - 1961, the decoration being worthy of the legend as the hero of the history affirms it, the professor Mortimer. Various promoters also dreamed to concrete the slopes by building there buildings with “unspoilable view” or a marina on the Seine, but the successive municipalities rejected all these projects, wishing to preserve the site.

The commune of the Rock-Guyon is member founder of the Regional natural park of French Vexin, created in 1995. The Rock-Guyon is the only village of Île-de-France to belong to the more beautiful villages of France. In 2003, an order of the prefect authorizes the creation of the public corporation of cultural co-operation of the castle of the Rock-Guyon. This public corporation takes the continuation of the association of safeguard and animation of the field created in 1995 to ensure the cultural activity(AP) of the site.

Demography

The absence of service road of Right Bank of the the Seine in this sector by the railroad of the West starting from the Années 1840 consequently involves a slow economic decline and consequently, demographic. The strong German occupation in 1944 and especially the consecutive important destruction with the bombardments undergone by the village explain the sharp decline of population at the conclusion of the Second world war.

Demographic table of the 20th century

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TextData= fontsize: S pos: (30,20) text: source INSEE

Population pyramid

At March 8th, 1999, the Rock-Guyon counted 550 inhabitants, including 299 men and 251 women.

Contrary to many rural districts, the village does not know any on-representation of the pensioners, the commune is on the contrary particularly young: 57,9% of the men and 43% of the women had less than thirty years in 1999. The share of less than fifteen years is rather in conformity with that of the area for the girls, but with a clear on-representation of the boys, which did not evolve/move between 1990 and 1999: 28,8% of the men and 17,5% of the women with the Rock-Guyon had less than fifteen years in 1999 compared with respectively 19,9% and 17,9% in the area. The section from the 45 to 59 years under-is represented: 11,0% of the men and 10,0% of the women compared with 19,7% and 18,7% in Ile-de-France.

The share of the elderly is it conforms to the average of the area: for the section from the 60 to 74 years, 9,7% of the men and 13,1% of the women with the Rock-Guyon, against respectively 10,2% and 11,3% in Ile-de-France and for the most 75 years, 3,3% of the men and 9,2% of the women compared with respectively 4,0% and 7,2% in Ile-de-France.

Housing

The Rock-Guyon is very mainly composed of old houses: the village added up 260 residences in 1999, including 188 main homes, in increase of 8,7% since 1990. The Middle Age of the park Immobilier is much higher than the regional tendency. Old constructions (former to 1949) represent more of the three-quarters of housing stock. In 1999, only 7,4% of the main homes dated from 1990 or afterwards against 9,1% in Île-de-France. A contrario , constructions former to 1949 accounted for 76,1% of the park compared with 33,7% for the regional average francilienne.

72,3% of the residences were main homes, distributed with 73,5% in houses and to 26,5% in small collectives, that is to say the opposite proportion of the Île-de-France as a whole (respectively 26,9% and 73,1% in the area). 60,1% of the inhabitants were owners of their housing, against 28,2% which were only tenants (respectively 44,3% and 51,1% in the area).

The Rock-Guyon counted only one housing HLM is 0,5% of the park in 1999 (23,4% in the area). One can note moreover that the number of vacant housings was higher in 1999 than in the area with 27, is 10,4% of the park compared with 8,1% in Ile-de-France and than 42 dwellings (that is to say 16,2% of the park) were second home.

The great residences are very majority: the majority of the dwellings have 4 parts and more (56,4%), then 3 (18,6%) and 2 parts (18,6%), but only 6,4% had only one part.

Administration

The Rock-Guyon belongs to the Canton of Magny-in-Vexin. The common one belongs to the First district of the Val-d'Oise, whose deputy is, since 1993, Philippe Houillon (UMP), also mayor of Pontoise since 2001. The Municipal council is composed of the mayor and fourteen advisers of which four are associated with the mayor, proportionally to the number of inhabitants.

Public services

The Rock-Guyon belongs to the jurisdiction of authority, of great authority as well as trade of Pontoise.

The post office of the Rock-Guyon was transformed into 2007 in “post office” managed by the commune in order to perennialize its presence.

Intercommunality

The commune is member of the Communauté of Vexin communes - Valley of the Seine created in 2005, gathering eight villages of the south of the canton of Magny-in-Vexin which the seat is located at Villers-in-Arthies.

Budget and taxation

The municipal budget the main thing 2006 added up: 437000 Euro S of investment and: 421000 euros of operation.

With a rate of tax of dwelling of 9,10% in 2006, the tax pressure for the private individuals with the Rock remains moderate, but is nevertheless higher than in the common neighbors. He is necessary to add 0,88% for the inter-commune share to it. The departmental rate of the Val-d'Oise was fixed the same year at 5,88% of the rental value. As comparison, this communal rate was of 5,71% with Villers-in-Arthies, 6,40% with Chaussy or 8,02% with Vétheuil, communes of the French Vexin of relatively equivalent population.

Political tendencies

As in many rural communes, the voters of the Rock-Guyon remain preserving in their policy options.

With the presidential election of 2002, the first turn saw arriving largely at the head Jacques Chirac with 24,4%, followed Jean-Marie Le Pen with 16,4%, Lionel Jospin with 13,4%, then Francois Bayrou with 8,4% and Alain Madelin with 8,0%, no other candidate not exceeding the threshold of the 5%. With the second turn, the voters voted to 83,5% for Jacques Chirac against 16,5% for Jean-Marie Le Pen with a rate of abstention from 23,3%, values rather close to the national tendencies (respectively 82,21% and 17,79%; abstention 20,29%).

With the referendum on the constitutional treaty for Europe of May 29th, 2005, Guyonnais very largely accepted the European Constitution, with 59,24% of Yes compared with 40,76% of Not with a rate of abstention from 30,87% (whole France: Not to 54,67%; Yes to 45,33%). These figures are higher than the results franciliens (Yes 53,99%; Not 46,01%) but contrary with the departmental tendency of the Val-d'Oise which mainly rejected the treaty (Not with 53,47%; Yes to 46,53%).

With the presidential election of 2007, the first turn saw dissociating at the head Nicolas Sarkozy with 43,80%, followed by Francois Bayrou with 19,71%, Ségolène Royal with 15,69%, Jean-Marie Le Pen with 8,03%, finally Dominique Voynet with 2,92%, and Jose Bove with 2,55%, no other candidate not exceeding the threshold of the 2,5%. The second turn saw arriving largely at the head Nicolas Sarkozy with 67,84% (national result: 53,06%) against 32,16% for Ségolène Royal (national: 46,94%).

List mayors

Economy

The Rock-Guyon essentially saw Commerce and Tourisme, the village having a hotel ( Edges of the Seine ) and several restaurants like some trade of proximity. In 1998 (date of the last official inventory of INSEE), one found 3-4 there restaurants and coffees, a general food, a bakery, a hairdressing salon, a tobacconist's shop and a garage, which represented an offer higher than the communes of the department and area of equivalent size.

The castle in addition constitutes the fourth tourist site more visited department of the Val-d'Oise with: 49438 visitors in 2004.

In 1999, 42,8% of the Guyonnais credits having an employment worked in the commune, but this figure moved back of 4,5% between 1990 and 1999. The majority of the inhabitants generally work in the economic poles of the sector, Mantes-the-Pretty in the department close to the Yvelines rather than those of the department of the Val-d'Oise, in accordance with the historical economic area of influence of the valley of the Seine. Unemployment rate was very slightly lower than the French average with 11,8% in 1999 against 12,9% in France. The average revenue by household in 2004 was higher than the national average with: 21529 € per annum (national average: : 15027 € per annum).

Sociology

The executives and intellectual professions on-are very slightly represented with a rate of 15,9% in 1999 (against 13,1% on average in France) but largely under the average of the area with 22,8% in Île-de-France. The intermediate occupations on average account for 34,1% of the credits against 23,1% national and 25,6% on average regional. A contrario , the workmen accounts for only 15,9% of the credits of the commune against 25,6% in France, but this figure is close to the regional average of 16,5% in Ile-de-France. The commune did not count any farmer in addition.
27,6% of Guyonnais followed higher learning, against 18,1% on average to Metropolitan France, but 28,1% on average regional. The population of the commune thus primarily consists of employees and frameworks, and remains in the sociological average of a commune of the urban surface of Paris.

Inheritance

The Rock-Guyon has five historic buildings classified or registered and its territory constitutes a classified site (part of the valleys of the the Seine and Epte), except the built-up area of the village, registered site.

Architectural heritage

The Château of the Rock-Guyon is a whole of composite constructions leant with the rock cliff whose construction was spread out 12th century at the 18th century. It has nevertheless primarily the appearance which gave him the duke François Alexandre Frederic of Rochefoucauld-Liancourt which entirely transformed the property between 1745 and 1748.

The Donjon in the almond shape was built at the 12th century. Its defensive part was fully turned towards the plate of the Vexin and the valley of the Epte, making then border with the close Normandy, no attacker not being to fear side of the the Seine considering the escarpment of cliff. Of an initial height of 38 meters, it was tiny room of a third its height by the duchess of Erville during the Révolution. It measures nearly 12 meters in diameter outside and only six meters inside. The Donjon is connected to the Château of the Rock-Guyon in against-low by an underground staircase of 250 steps dug in the cliff Calcaire towards 1190 which constitutes its single access. This underground originally led to the castle troglodytic, but the access was condemned to the destruction of this last and now forms an elbow towards the modern castle.

The Casemate S were dug behind the castle during the Second world war. The German general Erwin Rommel installed some time his general headquarter there after the unloading of Normandy what was worth at the village to be bombarded by allied aviation.

The Pot of the castle of the Rock-Guyon , reconstituted and of a surface of three Hectare S approximately, reopened its doors with the public the June 5th 2004.

The town hall , inaugurated the May 8th 1847, is an example little current of market hall. Indeed, the stone market of the market is surmounted by the building of the town hall.

The church Saint-Samson was built on his current site at the 15th century after the destruction of a preceding building, probably located in the court of the castle. It consists of a high Nef of five Travée S deprived of Transept and finished by a polygonal Chevet , the Bas-côté S are covered with triangular Voûte S with three branches of Ogive S radiating with a central key. The building is dissymmetrical, having Arc-boutant S of the southern part but resting directly on cliff on the northern side. The gate is deprived of tympanum, and the square tower of the Clocher does not have any ornament, being simply openwork with height of the belfry of a single bay in tierce point on each face.
The building shelters the tomb of François de Silly, first duke of the Rock-Guyon and large louvetier of France, died with the Siège of the La Rochelle in 1628 and buried on its grounds.

The attic with salt , or hotel of the gabelle , is a building of the 18th century. It currently shelters the Tourist office.

The monumental fountain was high in 1742 by the architect Louis Villars. Carved by Jamay, it was surmounted by one ecu, with the weapons as of Rochefoucauld, which gave its name to the place. It carries on its Western face a marble plate with a text engraved in Latin:
Aquam hanc Per summa collium Quatuor fere ab hunc Millibus variis canalibus Ductam publiæ utilitati Addixit Alexander dux Ruppefucaldus Anno MDCCXLII Cleaned labore and ingenio Ludovici Villars architecti (This water brought by the top of the hills, of a distance from nearly four miles by various channels, was devoted to the public utility by Alexandre duke of Rochefoucauld, the year 1742. Under the direction and by the care and the talent of Louis Villars, architect.).

The boves , road of Gasny, are characteristic of the troglodytic villages . These cellars dug in cliff were used to shelter the wine reserves. Enough high and square form, of a surface from 80 to 100 m ² approximately, they is generally closed by gates and is used nowadays as garage.

The “cart-tracks” are streets in steep slope carrying out of the low city to the peak of cliff.

The road of the peaks dominates the valley of the the Seine and offers from the dominant points of view on the valley and the loop of Moisson.

Natural heritage

The regional forest of the Rock-Guyon (310 ha, managed by ONF) is on the calcareous plate in the north of the commune.

The arboretum of the Rock is inserted in the middle of the regional forest of the Rock-Guyon It extends on 12 hectares, and constitutes an original geographical representation of the area Île-de-France. Each department is represented by a solid mass of characteristic trees: oaks reopens for the Seine-et-Marne, of the maple S for the the Essonne, of the Charme S for the the Valley-of-Marne, of the Frêne S for the Val-d'Oise, of the Merisier S for the Seine-Saint-Denis, of the Tilleul S for the Hauts-de-Seine, of the Hêtre S for the Yvelines and of the Platane S, in the center, for Paris. The rivers are illustrated by bands of lawn.

The exposed Falaise S chalky full south lodge a particular flora, including thermophilous and heliophilous species in particular.

The site Natura 2000 “Slopes and buckles of the Seine” includes part of the territory of the commune of the Rock-Guyon. Creation in this site of a Natural reserve of 286 hectares, whose management should be entrusted to the regional natural park of French Vexin, is projected but raises the opposition of part of the population.

The Rock-Guyon, commune belonging to the Regional natural park of French Vexin, prohibited the culture of plants GMO on its territory.

Personalities related to the commune

François Alexandre Frederic of Rochefoucauld-Liancourt (1747 - 1827) was born with the Rock-Guyon.

Louis François Auguste of Rohan-Chub (1788-1833), back grandson of the duchess of Enville, ordered priest with the Rock-Guyon in 1822, resold the castle with his/her cousin François XIII of Rochefoucauld in 1829.

Erwin Rommel (1891 - 1944), general German, ordering the group of armies B and person in charge of the Atlantic Wall, establishes its general headquarter with the castle of the Rock-Guyon in February 1944.

Edgar Pierre Jacobs (1904 - 1987), collaborator of Hergé then author of cartoons, it took as a starting point the site for “the diabolic Trap” of the series of cartoon Blake and Mortimer.

Joseph Kosma (1905 - 1969), type-setter Hungarian which came to Paris in 1933 and belonged to the friends of Jacques Prévert. Working for the song and the Cinema, it was made naturalize French, settled with the Rock-Guyon lasting the Années 1950 and finishes its life there.

Culture

Festivities and events

The castle of the Rock-Guyon constitutes the framework of the majority of animations of the village. Throughout the year, many festivities are proposed with all: literary exposures, conferences, parts of Theater, concerts within the framework of the festival “Jazz with the wire of Oise”, etc

Each year since 1993, the first weekend of May, is in addition organized in the low court of the castle a festival of the plants entitled “Between countryside and garden” which gathers various stands of nursery gardeners and artists.

Literature

To the 19th century, one of the owners and inhabitant of the Castle of the Rock-Guyon, the duke and cardinal Louis François of Rohan-Chub invited there in stays the Poète, writer, Historien, and man Politique Alphonse of Lamartine who wrote there one of his more admirable poetic meditations: the Holy Week with the Rock-Guyon.

The author of the Cartoons Blake and Mortimer Edgar Jacobs located at it the action of his album the diabolic Trap and imagines it connected to Paris by a kind of the RER some time before 2050.

Painting

At the 18th century, the slope of the Rock-Guyon and its castle troglodytic was painted as landscapes of painting Pittoresque by the painter Hubert Robert. At the 19th century Claude Monet, which resided not far with Vétheuil then at Giverny, also painted landscapes of the Rock-Guyon and its cliffs. At the 20th century, Georges Braque represents the village in 1909 during its period known as of the analytical Cubisme.

Cinema

Several films were made with the Rock-Guyon. One can quote:

Teaching

The Rock-Guyon has a school complex “the large willow” (1 rue des Fraîches-Femmes) including/understanding a nursery school and a elementary school which accommodates, in addition to the children of the village, those of the communes of Amenucourt, Chérence and High-Isle.

The common changing of the academy of Versailles. The schools of the village are managed by the general inspection of the departmental inspection of State education of Cergy (Real the President - Roadway Jules-César, 95525 Cedex Cergy-Pontoise). The Western half of the district of Vexin belongs to the basin of education and training of Cergy.

The commune is sectorisée on the college Rosa-Happiness of Bray-and-Lu (1, rue de la Sablonnière), located at 7 km at north and the college general Galileo with Cergy, located at approximately 40 km in the east.

To deepen

Internal bonds

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