776 km long, the Seine is now navigable from Nogent-sur-Seine, 500 km from the sea, and the distance from Paris to Rouen by the river is 242 km. The meander of La Roche-Guyon is located in the middle of this distance, between those of Meulan and the Andelys. The navigation, with all the small people who gravitated around it, was active on this long route supplying the capital. But the river, very capricious, was not tamed for great navigation until after the last pipe improvements of the 1880s. The speaker will travel the centuries, evoking the unforeseen climate, the pitfalls of the course, the Viking drakkars, the periods of English domination, the tolls of all kinds, on various boats that will wait the 19th century to see the steam, then a sophisticated drain, to reach today’s impressive buildings. We will see the constant evolution of the goods transported, without forgetting some river anecdotes about the past of the meander that interests us on this day of celebration of the Heritage.
By Claude Legout, Vice-President of the Société historique et archéologique de Pontoise, du Val-d'Oise et du Vexin
The town halls of La Roche-Guyon, Moisson, Bonnières-sur-Seine and Bennecourt joined forces in 2022 to celebrate the Seine, their common living heritage: they offer meetings, animations, conferences on the 4 sites to promote access to biodiversity for all, history, culture, art and literature specific to this territory and create a link in the valley.