In the northwest suburbs of Paris, Cergy is part of a new town built to address the post-war housing crisis.
Cergy was joined to its neighboring commune, creating the Cergy-Pontoise conurbation, whose population rocketed from just a couple of thousand in the 1950s to 200,000 today. So with the town's youthfulness, there is a lot of modern architecture here, most still fresh to this day and summarized by Dani Karavan's spectacular Ax Majeur. But Cergy was also a where Pissarro and other Impressionists painted the River Oise in the 19th century, and there are traces of the old centers of Cergy and Pontoise embedded in the conurbation. Discover the best things to do in Cergy.
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1. Axe Majeur
A 30-year mammoth project, Ax Majeur is a gigantic contemporary sculpture by author Dani Karavan. It is made up of 12 “stations” extending in a dead straight line for more than three kilometers and is the modern emblem for Cergy-Pontoise.
Each station is a different point of interest, whether it’s the riverbanks where the Impressionists painted, or the Esplanade de Paris, which has views of Paris and La Défense to the southeast.
Work started in 1980 and was completed in stages over the decades that followed, with the final touches made as recently as 2010. You’ll start at the Tour Belvédère, where there’s a 36-meter tower with a laser beam plotting the monument’s route.
2. Musée Tavet-Delacour
You couldn’t pick a more refined setting for this museum of art and history. The venue is the former home of Pontoise’s Grand Vicar and was commissioned by the Archbishop of Rouen at the end of the 15th century.
The inner part is from the 20th century and features works by Matisse, Legros, Signovert and Jean Arp, as well as by Otto Freundlich, an abstract follower who was attacked by the Nazis in a degenerate art exhibition. their.
The historical exhibits are interesting odds and ends, some looted from the Royal Saint-Denis Basilica in the Revolution, and so including a piece of Louis IX’s skull, a lock of Philip II’s hair, teeth belonging to Henry III and IV, and the mummified leg of Catherine de’ Medici.
3. Musée Camille Pissarro
As we mentioned in the intro, many painters came to set up their easels next to the Oise in Cergy and Pontoise. But few were as ardent in their love for this location as the Impressionist Camille Pissarro, who lived in Pontoise for 17 years and often painted the water here.
There is one painting by Pissarro, Barges à La Roche-Guyon, combined with numerous drawings and prints by the artist. There are also pieces by Pissarro’s three sons, as well as noted post-Impressionists like Cézanne and Signac.
4. Pontoise Cathedral
The fine old church in the center of old Pontoise was elevated to cathedral status in the 1960s. It’s was first finished in the 12th century and then expanded in the 1400s and 1500s, so there’s a melange of styles, from Romanesque to Flamboyant Gothic and Renaissance.
The oldest sections are the nave and the apse, from the 1100s, while the photogenic tower and main portal are a bit newer, dating to the 15th century. Make for the chapels in the apse to see the Romanesque column capitals, while there are also loads of wooden liturgical furniture surviving.
See the choir screen, pulpit, choir stalls and enclosure around the baptismal font, which were all crafted in the 17th century.
5. Modern Architecture
While Pissarro and Cézanne were attracted to the light on the banks of the Oise in the late-1800s, the new town of Cergy-Pontoise inspired filmmakers like Éric Rohmer and Henri Verneuil in the 20th century. Both directors used the town’s modern architecture as backdrops for their movies.
Most famous is Rohmer’s Boyfriends and Girlfriends from 1987, where the stylish, modern setting sets the tone.
Take a trip around town to appreciate the clean function of the architecture, and to get a photo of exotic attractions like the 10-meter clock (the largest clock in Europe) at Gare de Cergy and the reverse pyramid of the County building.
6. Cergy Village
Bordering the Oise is the old core of Cergy, which was here long before the town’s rapid expansion in the 1960s. Located around Saint-Barshe Church are a few respectable streets quite different from the modern architecture of Cergy-Pontoiseùi.
You can see the old Neo-Renaissance town hall and a string of quaint 19th-century farmhouses.
Among other clues from another era are Clergy, a 19th-century old suit, shared toilet (Lavoir de la Guêpière and Lavoir de la Fontaine Rousselette), where Cergy villagers can come to wash their clothes.
7. Pontoise Upper Town
Before the new town was created, Pontoise, high above the River was a historic settlement of around 10,000, and once the capital of the County of Vexin.
And as with the center of Cergy the old quarter remains, and here holds 12 French “monuments historiques”. One of these is the Carmelite Convent, dating to 1605 and the oldest still running in France.
Although still in use, the church is open to visitors and there, a small shop sells gifts and postcards made at the monastery.
Also, on Rue de la Coutellerie and Boulevard Jean-Jaurès there are portions of the town’s ramparts, while the Moulin des Pâtis is an 18th-century mill painted by Cézanne and now a cultural center.
8. Église Saint-Christophe
Entering this church in the old area of Cergy is a strange but unforgettable experience: You’ll pass through a fine Renaissance portico, accessing a section of the building that was pulled down in the early 1900s, so it now stands alone as a sort of archway.
This opens onto a courtyard, where you can study the tower, which is as old as the 12th century at its lower level but was rebuilt further up in the 16th century.
If you know where to look inside, there are lots of history to explore: Check out the reliefs on the portal that show the lives of St Christopher and Jesus coming to Gethamene Gardens, as well as the six capitals from the stories. The bible illustrated in 1130.
9. Île de Loisirs
Tucked into a meander on the Oise is a gigantic 250-hectare site set aside for watersports and all kinds of other outdoor recreation. The six pools here are man-made and were laid out in the 1960s when the new town was being built.
And to this day it remains a superb place for the Cergy-Pontoise’s residents to be active or relax in the summer months: There’s a beach, an artificial white-water course, as well as facilities for cable-skiing and a wave pool.
And that’s just the water activities because there’s also a climbing wall, tree-top assault courses, archery, and mountain-biking trails.
10. Pontoise et ses Souterrains
There’s a little underground world below Pontoise, but you have to be organized if you want to see it. There are tours on Sundays and on occasional weekdays depending on the season, but you need to book ahead.
These are arranged by the tourist office and will beckon you down tunnels to ancient quarries, staircases hewn from the rock, cellars, wells, underground rooms with stunning vaults and a host of military installations from the 1100s to the 1600s.
When you go the guide will explain these accommodations as you go from one stage to another.
More ideals for you: Top 10 things to do in Boulogne Sur Mer
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