Attractions and Places To See around La Queue-Les-Yvelines - Top 20

Many houses of worship in France bear the title “Notre-Dame” (in German “Our Lady”) and are therefore dedicated to the Blessed Mother Mary. Sometimes the specific patronage is made clear by an additional name, such as “Assumption of Mary” or “Immaculate Conception”. Here in Les Mesnuls, the church or chapel bears the suffix "Notre-Dame du Chêne", i.e. "to the oak". This means that it is not an event in the life of the Mother of God that is referred to in the patronage, but rather a tree that gave the immediate surroundings of the church a formative shape. In fact, you can see a tree on the left and right of the building.

Church located in the Yvelines in Beynes, in the west of Paris. It dates from the 13th century and has seen various demolitions and reconstructions throughout history. Today located in the city center, you can stop there for a supply or simply catch your breath.

Here at 36 rue de l'église, an old house different from the neighboring buildings. This is the "Tric" villa acquired in 1915 by Henri Désiré Landru to commit his macabre crimes. Within these walls, 7 women were murdered between 1915 and 1919 among the 11 officially recorded victims. The choice of the Gambais villa was motivated by its isolation, as it was 300 m from the nearest house (this is obviously no longer the case now), and by its outbuildings and the basement. Here were found supposedly human remains in a heap of ashes discovered in a shed, in the fireplace, and in the stove; one will also find clasps, pins, pieces of corset, partly burnt buttons. In all, the police found 4.176 kg of charred bone debris, including 1.5 kg undoubtedly coming from human bodies, as well as 47 teeth or tooth fragments. The medical examiner will announce to the press that these bones correspond to three heads, five feet and six hands. Having become a famous place on the occasion of the resounding trial, Villa Tric de Gambais was looted by the crowd, then sold to a restorer who renamed it "Au Grillon du Foyer" and converted part of the building into a museum. It even seems that the "Landru" rib steak was served there, grilled over a wood fire... The restaurant closed its doors in 1940 and the house was then sold to private individuals. The famous villa also gave rise to a series of postcards. Somewhat forgotten after several decades, the house came back into the news in 2018 when it was put up for sale with an announcement very discreetly stating "very beautiful house steeped in history"... The cook of the villa after a succession of transactions ended up being bought by Laurent Ruquier. Passionate about the character, he wrote a play on the subject, in 2005, with Régis Laspalès in the main role. No sign, no sign comes to announce the history of this house which undoubtedly wishes to fall back into oblivion.

Located at an altitude of 154 meters1, the pond covers an area of 0.8 hectares. The “Ponts-Quentin stream” flows into the Rompu pond — coming from the Holland ponds located about 1 km upstream to the east — and comes out to flow, about ten kilometers further to the west, in the Vesgre, having previously changed its name twice: first under the name of “Etang-Neuf stream” then under that of “Grapelin”. The Ponts-Quentin stream passes under departmental road 138 before flowing into the pond, which justifies the undulation of the road and its bend. The pond is part of the Rambouillet national forest, a private state domain. As such, its management is ensured by the National Forestry Office (ONF). Wikipedia

Super beautiful, and well highlighted by the municipality.

From the 8th century, Beynes is a land owned by the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. It is therefore monks who clear and cultivate the land of Beynes. They build a first place of worship, probably in wood. At the beginning of the 11th century, King Robert II the Pious (972 / 1031) gave the fiefdom of Beynes to Guillaume de Hainaut, first lord of the Montfort family. In 1072, it is attested that Beynes depends on the priory of Saint Laurent de Montfort-L'Amaury. In 1159, a papal bull from Pope Adrian IV, the only English pope in history, attests that King Robert the Pious granted the patronage of the church and the main tithe to Saint Magloire Abbey in Paris. The construction of the current church is dated from the middle of the 12th century, date of the appearance of the parish, consecrated to Saint Martin in 1183. The church has undergone various episodes of demolitions and alterations over the centuries, and appears to have been partly rebuilt in 1773, then remodeled and extended in the 1830s to 1880s. Subsequently, numerous consolidations and repairs took place. The choir, the oldest part, dates from the 12th century, while the nave and the side aisles on the basilica plan are from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Virgin and Child: polychrome stone statue from the 14th century, listed as a historical monument since 1907. The tabernacle: the 18th century sculpted wooden altar, surmounted by a 17th century altarpiece, has been listed as a historical monument since 1907. This tabernacle was sculpted by monks who reproduced certain elements of the portal of the Saint Gervais church from Paris. The two small wooden statues adorn the sides: Saint Vincent and Saint Nicolas. The capitals of the choir: vestiges of the primitive church of the 12th century have been updated: columns, Romanesque capitals, departure of a double roller arch and slightly broken Romanesque arcades.

The castle of Beynes is installed in the bottom of a valley. Its construction dates back to the 11th century. It first had a military role at a time when the course of the Mauldre constituted a line of defense of the royal domain, to the west, in particular against the English during the Hundred Years' War. In the 15th century, the castle having lost its strategic importance due to the extension of the royal domain, Robert d'Estouteville, chamberlain of King Charles VII and owner of the premises, made it undergo some modifications, by demolishing the keep and adapting the nascent artillery fortifications. In the 16th century, in 1536, the estate was ceded to Diane de Poitiers (Madame de Valentinois) by Henri II, her royal lover2. She had a new dwelling built by Philibert Delorme, author of the Château des Tuileries, the Château d'Anet or part of that of Chenonceau. The castle is among the first listed with a framework that was a precursor to the principle of glued laminated timber, the technique of which was therefore invented by this great architect3,4. In the 17th century, in 1688, ladies of the high aristocracy gathered there around the mystical Madame Guyon. On October 4, they organized a meeting at the château between Madame Guyon and their spiritual director, the Abbé de Fénelon5. This one becomes one of the most fervent disciples of Madame Guyon6. In the 18th century, the ruins of the castle served for a time as the setting for the English park laid out by the Phélypeaux de Pontchartrain who then owned it. An estimate for its restoration is produced7, its cost probably convinces the owners to leave it as it is. Abandoned then dismantled, it even serves as a quarry for the construction of the village. In 1967, the Château de Beynes was bought by the municipality, which was responsible for saving the estate, which was then buried by vegetation. From 1995 to 1999, it was excavated and then benefited from reinforcement works. In 2014, all the remains were classified as historical monuments 8. At the beginning of June 2016, heavy rains caused the flooding of the moat9,10, and the collapse of a section of the wall. Work, in the form of a subsidized and sponsored volunteer site, is underway to stop its deterioration and allow its access to the public11.

Located in the Rambouillet forest in the Yvelines, the Rompu pond is a very charming little body of water. As the seasons go by, the reflections in the water constitute veritable open-air frescoes. No traditional museum but a reward for adventurous hikers!