The Schaken district or «Bagaudes district» owes its first development to the ferry of Créteil and the crossing of the towpath. Indeed, the boats that went up the river were pulled by oxen or horses. They crossed the Marne at this point to pass on the right bank, shorter and devoid of islands. Seven houses, inhabited by fishermen and farmers, form the hamlet of Port-Créteil, already mentioned on a Merovingian currency. They are grouped around a village square that still exists. For centuries, the district was made up of many islands, all attached to the mainland between the 18th century and 1940.
The district is named after one of the most important landowners of Saint-Mauriens: Pierre Schaken. After his death, the estate was divided into 130 lots by his daughter in 1882. Seven streets were opened, including the streets of Joinville, Jules Joffrin, Pinet (now Politzer). This is the end of the rural character of the place. The proposed route allows to apprehend the history of the district by noting the memory of the old arms of the Marne which enclosed its islands and by observing the architecture of its houses, from the «remarkable building» protected by the PLU, to the modest «worker’s house» or the apartment building. You will travel 5 km with a local historian.