4, Place de la Tour
78550 HOUDAN
01 30 59 53 86
contact@tourismepayshoudanais.fr
N.DuboisCD78Do you know the Gallo-Roman nymphaeum of Septeuil? Do you know that a famous President of the Republic lived and rests on the land of Orvilliers? Have you visited the museum of the ancient Sparterie of Dammartin en Serve? Listened to the Brame du Cerf in autumn in Condé sur Vesgre? ... The Pays Houdanais is rich in a heritage that is sometimes little known.
Old stones, nature where the fauna and flora are preserved, age-old traditions, famous people, unique gastronomy make up a happy mix to discover.
To make your discovery easier, we have developed an interactive digital heritage map. Available on smartphones, it displays the points of interest to discover with a short explanation, a visual, accessibility and the route to get there.
In its first version, the map allows you to discover the many churches and chapels that bear witness to the history of the villages and hamlets. Gradually, the map will display all the historical, natural and traditional heritage. We therefore invite you to follow its evolution.
We wish you wonderful discoveries in our region.
CD78NicolasDupreyLong a borderland, the Pays Houdanais preserves the preserved traces of a past rich in a history more than a thousand years old. This is attested by the artifacts of the Bronze Age, the Gallo-Roman remains or the castle mounds discovered in several communes.
Castles, abbeys, churches, farms and fortified walls, half-timbered houses, water mills, etc. take us back in time as we walk.
If Houdan, its dungeon, its church and its half-timbered houses are an example, other villages are home to equally remarkable remains.
Although the monuments, most of which are private, are not all accessible, many of them are nevertheless visible at the bend in the paths... It's up to you to keep your eyes open...
Fields, forests and rivers are probably the first images that strike visitors.
Above all a rural territory, the Pays Houdanais offers a variety of landscapes where agricultural plains and plateaus rub shoulders with wooded hills.
The wildlife is preserved there. It is not unusual to come across a deer, a doe, a wild boar or to see a squirrel, a badger or a weasel running through a hedge.
Birds, especially owls, are the object of special attention. Bell towers are usually their places of residence. Nest boxes are sometimes installed there. That said, we hear them more easily than we see them!
Rivers are (almost) everywhere. Vaucouleurs, Vesgre, Opton, Flexanville are the main ones. Although modest in size, they sometimes feed small lakes, support an entire ecosystem and delight fishermen.
We cannot talk about nature without mentioning horse breeding, which the south of the Houdanais region has made a specialty of.
The natural heritage of the Pays Houdanais is rich and open. We invite you to discover it, on foot, by bike or why not on horseback!
Formerly the property of the Duchy of Brittany, today an articulation between three regions: Ile-de-France, Centre Val-de-Loire and Normandy, the Pays Houdanais has always been a land of encounters and inspiration for the women and men who have lived there.
The poet Heredia, President Pompidou, Orson Welles, Marc Chagall, Edith Piaf, Marcel Aymé and many others found peace and inspiration in the Pays Houdanais.
Past economic activity has also left its mark, which can be seen in many places, particularly in Houdan with the workshops for producing "Boldoflorine" transformed into homes, or at the esparto museum in Dammartin-en-Serve.
A relay of economic activity, the Saint Matthew trade fair in Houdan is an emblem of the human, economic and social heritage of the territory. Founded in 1065, it can boast of being one of the oldest fairs in France and Europe.
The territory was also the site of social experiments, notably in the 19th century in Condé-sur-Vesgre where the proponents of Fourierism created a phalanstery.
This astonishing economic and social heritage can be discovered either by visiting it when possible, or through the publications available online to which the map will invite you to continue your journey.
As in many regions, gastronomy honours our land.
The Pays Houdanais is famous for the "Houdan Hen". A poultry endemic to the region, known since the 14th century, it is showcased in the no less famous Houdan pâté (19th century) which is watched over today (21st century) by the brotherhood of the same name... Quite a story!
Beyond this gastronomic celebrity, the Pays Houdanais has some nice surprises in store for gourmets. Fishermen and fish lovers will visit the old water mill of Villette (16th century) converted into a fish farm and will be able to taste the different preparations offered there. Caviar lovers will make a detour to Mulcent where the precious product is packaged and sold.
Finally, many farms and producers offer fresh products grown or processed on site: fruits and vegetables, eggs and meats, drinks and jams, etc., thus promoting our culinary and gastronomic heritage in a short circuit logic. Discovering the Pays Houdanais also involves experiencing its gastronomic heritage, fortunately present on many restaurant menus in the area. Don't hesitate to use your taste buds to discover the Pays Houdanais in a "gourmet journey".
Vianney LecocqThe interactive heritage map is under development and will be gradually completed.