Montgeron is a town in Essonne, in the Île-de-France region bordering the Val de Marne, 19 km south-east of Paris.
The commune is located between the valley of the Seine, the course of the Yerres and the edge of the forest of Sénart.
Seigneurie prospère, which belonged to several high commissioners of the State under the Ancien Régime, a choice stage on the road from Paris to Burgundy (today the RN6), a large house is built there in the 17th century adjoining a garden The French from which a beautiful avenue leads to the forest of Sénart (now called La Pelouse). The future town is also a hunting rendezvous of the Count of Provence (brother of the king) from 1775.
In the eighteenth and especially the nineteenth century, the verdant setting of the locality makes it a destination appreciated by the bourgeois and artists from Paris.
The urbanization of the northern half of the territory dampens demography during the 20th century (2,300 inhabitants in 1901, more than 23,000 today) via residential and large areas, while zones of activity (industry, tertiary sector, Shops) are established. However, the rich historical heritage and its preserved natural surroundings always make Montgeron a reputed city. One step is necessary!
Numerous buildings of interest, for a part classified, can mark a walk in the form of discovery of the historical patrimony of the city.
This is the case of the Pavillon du Moustier, whose entrance pavilion dates from the beginning of the 17th century and remains in itself of the eighteenth. Notably the facades and roofs. It was the property of the painter Carolus Duran.
Also worth seeing is the castle of Rottembourg built in the early eighteenth century, which was owned by an empire general. The painted Claude Monet stayed there.
The Château des Prés is also worth a look. Former hunting lodge of the Comte de Provence (later Louis XVIII), erected at the beginning of the 18th century, it was embellished over the centuries by its successive owners before being transformed into a convent during the interwar period. A chapel with stained-glass windows by Jacques Grüber and a cave in the shape of a burial site were laid out in the 20th century. Sisters still occupy the premises.
Chateau de Chalandray (18th century), that of the Princesse de Beauvau built around 1830 on the remains of the former seigneurial chateau and now transformed into a high school, which still testify to the highly residential vocation of the city, or the current town hall, Where the hunting crews were once lodged, also deserve attention.
The watermill of the 15th century (on the greenway of the banks of the Yerres), the ceramic decorations of the painter Boitel within the Gatinot school can also be seen.
This route must finally include the Saint-Jacques church, completed in 1856, but a stained glass window inaugurated in 1941 by the master glassmakers Mauméjean is a piece of history as such. He represents a man armed with a sword preparing to behead Saint James. Now, if the face of the man is partially masked, his mustache is recognizable and evokes that of Adolf Hitler. For historians, this audacity was an act of resistance by the designers of the stained-glass window.
Last historic building not to be overlooked, the café-restaurant of Réveil-Matin, where was the departure in 1903 of the first tour of France cyclist!
All information for guided tours or brochures concerning these various monuments and sites, please call +33 1 69 83 13 41.
Another way of understanding the local history, the visit of the municipal museum Josèphe Jacquiot. Five collections are preserved and exhibited: prints, medals, icons, Egyptian and Asian coins. A room is entirely dedicated to the history of Montgeron. Free admission. Information on +33 1 69 52 00 30 or +33 1 78 75 20 00.
For the amateurs, exhibitions are regularly scheduled at the Médiathèque du Carré d'Art. For further information, please call +33 1 78 75 20 10.
Montgeron also offers the visitor a multitude of green areas suitable for the walk. Let us quote La Pelouse, the old entrance to the now-extinct Montgeron castle, which crosses the city for more than a kilometer from the Place de l'Europe to the Sénart forest. The wooded perspective of the site evokes Le Nôtre.
We must also mention the banks of the Yerres where paths have been developed, forming a green link between Varennnes-Jarcy and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges including obviously Montgeron.
The town is also a beautiful gateway to the forest of Sénart and its 2500 hectares of woods and paths where you can practice jogging, mountain biking or rollerblading... A fifth of the area belongs to the communal territory.
Remains the House of the Environment, an area of information and ecological discovery. Under construction since the storm of 2014, the building is closed but the team still offers activities and activities to the public in other places of the city and the park of 3800 m² is open every day from 9 am to 7 pm. For further information, please call +33 6 14 66 56 46.
For sports and leisure, information, maps and brochures for hiking (on foot or mountain bike) at the departure or including Montgeron at +33 1 69 83 13 41.
Swimming and aquatic gym are possible at the pool. Price: 2 to 3 euros. Information on +33 1 69 03 38 20. Finally, a bi-cross trail is available for amateurs (information on +33 1 69 42 57 38) and a complex dedicated to "urban sliding" has been developed (contact the +33 1 69 42 24 24 59).
In May, international athletics meeting.
In June, festival of the city and summer festival: concerts, street shows, fun activities.
In July-August, open-air cinema screenings on La Pelouse.
On the first Saturday in September, the forum of associations is held at the Picot gymnasium and the De Coubertin gymnasium. Sporting animations, workshops, playful animations.
From mid-December: Christmas market, party of the game, musical and playful animations place of Rottembourg and in forest.
In addition, the covered market is located at the corner of Rue Saint-Hubert and Avenue de la République. It is open on Wednesday morning and Saturday morning. It offers the main part to the products of the soil of Île-de-France.
