Marne River Bike Tour

[French Mystique Tours]

Saint-Maur-des-Fossés lies just southeast of Paris and makes a great starting point for anyone seeking an easy, tranquil and scenic bike ride along the banks of The Marne river as far as Noisiel. The journey begins in the La Varenne section of Saint-Maur. Now that I've given you the introduction let's start with the pictures.













The above photos give you a pretty good idea of what your trip through Saint-Maur will offer in terms of scenery. Now let's move on to a bit of the historical side of Saint-Maur. The oldest section of Saint-Maur is known as Le Vieux Saint-Maur. Our first stop here brings us to The Abbey of Saint-Maur. The abbey was founded in 639 by the queen Nanthilde, making it one of the oldest abbeys in France. Here are a few photos.







The abbey was sacked and rebuilt several times throughout its history before it was ordered to be demolished sometime shortly after 1750. My favorite feature in the abbey grounds has no sign pointing to its location and nothing to even hint at its existence but in the far rear right corner and high up on the hill sits a piece of pre-historic history in the form of a menhir (or a standing stone in laymans terms). For those unfamiliar with menhirs, they are large slabs of stone set in the ground in an erect position. They were built in the neolithic period (roughly 4,500BC to 1,500BC) and are assumed to have had some sort of ceremonial significance. There is no widely accepted archaeological theory as to their precise purpose but there are several theories. The menhir has been removed from its original position due to vandalism but this has done nothing to prevent the vandals from continuing to scribble away on this once revered stone.



What amazes me about this menhir is that it survived, as a pagan monument, in the midst of the most Christian of places for centuries. There must have been some pretty deeply rooted legends among the locals that prevented its removal by the monks of the abbey. No doubt at some point it was likely Christianized and the original pagan legends were adapted to Christianity. The earliest Christian churches were usually built right on top of previously utilized pagan sacred space as a way of sanctifying the grounds without alienating local tradition by keeping intact its ceremonial function. I'm a huge fan of megaliths and archaeology but I'll save that for another post, maybe Brittany. Just a few meters from the abbey is the place of Le Vieux Saint-Maur. You'll notice the medieval church, dated to the 13th century but likely originally built prior to the 10th or 11th century. A hodge podge of romanesque, early gothic and modern renovation in style.





Inside the church is another little piece of history. There are some great story boards inside the church detailing its history as well as the history of several saints, including the history of Saint Nicholas, the saint from which the church derives its name (Eglise Saint Nicolas). I now know why Saint Nicholas (Saint Nick) is associated with children. The legend is (in brief) that once upon a time there was a nasty local butcher who, upon running low on meat provisions, decided the local children would be an appropriate substitute (and you thought substituting Splenda for sugar was a tasteless alternative). He lured three little boys into his store and cut them up. Saint Nicholas appeared and saying the magic words (?abra cadabra?) reassembled the children. No long post-op rehabilitation needed here, just a few simple words and the children went merrily on their way. But that's not all this church has to offer. In the back right corner of the church is a wooden sculpture of The Virgin Mary in polychrome paint. Now there are signs in the church and in the abbey grounds that give conflicting versions of how this statue came to be but I'll give you the short version where both stories intersect.

The statue was either carved in 1069AD (church story) or at the end of the 12th century (abbey story). Apparently the sculptor was working on the statue when he was either A) called by his master (church story) or B) heard voices calling him outside (abbey story). In any case, upon his return the statue was miraculously completed. Thus the church became widely known and visited by the faithful and was an important stopover on the pilgrimage trail to Santiago de Compostela, reaching its high point at the end of the 13th century. Large annual pilgrimages from Paris continued for centuries up until the revolution.



Adjacent to the church is a prominent brick building that was featured in the Jacques Tati film Mon Oncle, however, the facade was redecorated in the film so you wouldn't notice it if you were watching the film.



And just across from the church is a small park with these statues made in homage to the film.

[French Mystique Tours]

Leaving Le Vieux Saint-Maur we continue along the river before crossing to the other side. The bike path and road are shared here but there is very, very little auto traffic. From this point to Noisiel you will occasionally share the road with autos but I can tell you from having done this ride many times that the amount of auto traffic is minimal to non-existent. For most of the trip there are well marked bike lanes. Below is a photo of what you see just after crossing the river.



Our next little piece of history on this journey is passing by what are known as les guinguettes. These were drinking/dance hall establishments that started at the end of the 19th century. Many of them were immortalized by Impressionist era painters such as Renoir, Sisley ec. They were located on both sides of The Marne at places where the ferries shuttled people back and forth across the river. Most of the dancing occurred in the afternoons. They started to experience their decline after 1950 when accordeon music fell out of fashion. There has been recent interest in reviving this tradition and many guinguettes operate on the weekends from late spring to early fall. Chez Gégène is the most emblematic of the guinguettes.






Here's a picture of the outdoor eating area on a weekend while the dancing is going on indoors.





Across the river from Chez Gégène, in the town of Nogent-sur-Marne, you can see the rooftop of the Pavillon Baltard. This is one of the original pavillions from the old markets at Châtelet Les Halles in Paris.



Just a little further up and on the other side of the river from Les Guinguettes we'll see the port of Nogent-sur-Marne.




Here's a picture of just the cutest little riverside restaurant/guinguette next to the port in Nogent-sur-Marne called Le Verger.






The inside dining room is beautifully decorated in the style of the early 20th century.




Behind the building is the outdoor terrace, an oasis of greenery and serenity. It looks like dining in the Garden of Eden.




The restaurant has a billboard out front that is full of postcards and pages of newspapers from the early 20th century. The postcards show images of people enjoying the river and its leisure activities. The most interesting of the outdoor activities depicted is a race that was known as Le Match des Jambes de Bois, which is The Race of Wooden Legs. A local priest organized this event for men who had been maimed in the War of 1870. This war marked the debut of modern heavy ordinance and countless men lost limbs as a result of shelling. As horrible as that was it sounds like the men tried to make the best of their plight and I must admit that the idea of a bunch of guys with wooden legs running in a race against each other is kind of humorous.






The other really interesting item on display are the front pages of newspapers from the early 1900's recounting the tales of the infamous Bonnot Gang. Who were the Bonnot Gang, you ask? I guess they could be considered the first modern gangsters. Most people attribute the golden age of gangsters to the times of Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger but the Bonnot Gang preceeded them by almost 20 years. The Bonnot Gang were a group of anarchists who went on a briefly lived but wild bout of bank robbing and killing, making national headlines and panicking the public.

The gang went on a crime spree that lasted about 5 months, robbing banks, hijacking cars (which were rare at the time) shooting police officers and anyone else who got in their way. What made them so successful in their brief existence is that they used automatic weapons (which the police weren't armed with) and they used a car as a getaway vehicle, while the police tried to chase them on foot, bike and horseback. They are noted for being the inventors of the concept of the getaway car. Slowly the gang members were arrested or killed until there were just two members left, who holed themselves up in a house just a short distance away from Le Verger. Such was the reputation of fear and danger they inspired that a force of 300 police officers and 800 soldiers laid siege to their hideout house. A force of 1,100 men to capture 2 people! In a fierce battle that raged for hours a decision was finally made to blow up their house. And that was the end of the Bonnot Gang. This was really great for guinguette business as in the following months thousands of people made a pilgrimage to Nogent-sur-Marne to visit the house where the last of the Bonnot Gang were taken down. The house is long since gone but the newspapers remain in front of Le Verger to enlighten the modern day visitor. Have a look at the gang in the following photo. Interesting to note that women were included among the gang members.




Here's the house they holed up in, shown post explosion.




Here are the crowds that came to visit the hideout.




Here's their getaway car.

[French Mystique Tours]

Until we reach the end of the journey the intervening distance is mostly just a pretty ride without too much of great historic interest. The point is, after all, to enjoy a scenic and pleasant ride so let me just post some photos. I'll tell you in which towns I took the photos and I'll also comment when there is something of historic interest. Let's just enjoy some beauty for now though, shall we? Here I have arrived in Bry-sur-Marne, a pleasant little town. Notice the lack of auto traffic.





Now, for our next little piece of history we arrive at the Passerelle de Bry. Passerelle means footbridge in French. The Passerelle de Bry was built in 1894 and designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes, that Eiffel).



Here's a view across the river from Bry-sur-Marne.



And more of the bike lane in Bry.



Here's a photo taken from Noisy-Le-Grand.



Moving along through Noisy-Le-Grand, here's the bike path.

[French Mystique Tours]

Next up is Gournay-sur-Marne, shown below.



Our next point of historic interest brings us to the Hotel de Ville de Gournay-sur-Marne. From the river one sees only the back of the building but it is obvious that we are passing a former chateau, so let's just move on around to the front.



The grounds of the Hotel-de-Ville were acquired as part of the royal domaine in the 14th century. In 1590 Henry IV built a fortress here during his siege of Paris. In 1680 the present building was constructed by the daughter-in law of Louis XIV's wet nurse. I know that's a real stretch to try and make some history happen but it's all I've got. As long as you can connect something to Louis XIV it must be historic, right? Here are the park grounds in front of the Hotel-de-Ville.



Here are the ruins of a former mill, which I know nothing about.



And seen from a distance without the zoom.



Back to the bike path, here shared with cars. Although I rarely see any.

[French Mystique Tours]

At a certain point in Gournay-sur-Marne we get off the path near the river and switch to a hard packed dirt trail. We are now in Champs-sur-Marne.







The town is best known for its château, aptly called the Château de Champs-sur-Marne. The château was built starting in 1699 and completed in 1706 for one of Louis XIV's treasurers. He went bankrupt in the process and the château was purchased by another of the king's financiers. He was soon indicted on charges of embezzlement and imprisoned. I guess we know where he got the money to build a château. The château was seized by the crown and sold later to The Princess de Conti, a natural daughter of Louis XIV by one of his mistresses. In order to cancel a debt she sold it to her first cousin, The Duc de la Vallière. When the Duc died in 1739 he left it to his son and heir, a famous bibliophile known as Louis César de La Baume Le Blanc. The new Duc was a trusted friend of Louis XV and his mistress Madame de Pompadour. Louis César entertained many famous writers of the day at the château, including Diderot and Voltaire. Louis César built a new château elsewhere and abandoned Champs-sur-Marne, trying to sell it. Unable to sell it, in 1757 he rented it to Madame de Pompadour for the sum of 12,000 livres a year. In a two year period she spent about 200,000 livres renovating the château to her own tastes. Over time it passed through several hands until the final owner made it a gift to the state in 1935. The château is presently undergoing an extensive interior renovation and won't reopen until 2013.






Although the château is closed for renovation the park and gardens behind the château are still open to the public. The park was landscaped by a nephew and pupil of noted landscape architect Andre LeNotre (Louis XIV's landscape architect).

[French Mystique Tours]

Just up the road from the château we arrive at Noisiel, the end of our journey but also offering one last piece of history. We are now high up on a hill at the entrance to a large, grassy park. Here's the front gate.



And the park.



And now for our last little piece of history. Moving from the top to the bottom of the hill we will see a road leading into what appears at first glance to be some sort of older industrial buildings, which is an absolutely correct guess. We are looking at what was once the worlds largest chocolate manufacturing factory, known as The Menier Factory. This is one of many buildings on the grounds but it is one of the three most emblematic among them. Built in 1906 it was dubbed "The Cathedral" by the local population. It was one of the first buildings in the world to use reinforced concrete in its construction.




This place has a really interesting history so I'm going to take a few paragraphs to tell you all about it. The beginnings of the plant go back to 1816 when one Jean Antoine-Brutus Menier got involved in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals. His first factory was located in Paris but finding he needed room to expand the business he relocated to the town of Noisiel in 1825. At the time pharmaceuticals were generally coated in chocolate to make them easier to swallow and to make them taste better. By the 1830's the facility had become the first mechanized cocoa powder production facility in France and by the 1840's it was producing chocolate bars. Upon Jean Antoine's death in 1853 his son Emile inherited the business and increased both the size of the plant and its production. In 1864 he sold off the pharmaceutical part of the business and focused solely on chocolate production. Emile was focused on making his plant entirely self sufficient and to this end he purchased large cocoa plantations in Nicaragua as well as sugar beet fields north of Paris. He built his own ships to transport the cocoa beans and had a railway built from his sugar beet fields to the factory.

This is where the story gets interesting. Emile was an enlightened capitalist interested in the social theories of the day (remember, this was the time of Darwin and the idea of Social Darwinism) and he had a vision to create an ideal workplace. He defended the idea of a civilization of work as the source of richness and liberty. Nothing too unusual about that idea coming from a wealthy industrial capitalist but there was a twist to his ideas. He also believed that those who had the most had a responsibility to help those with the least. He believed in an ideal society where nothing would be omitted for the cultural and moral well being of the worker. But more than that, he believed the worker must have all of his material needs provided for in order that he could concentrate his efforts on contributing to the success of the factory. Since the factory was to be the chief representation of this ideal of enlightenment the factory was not just a utilitarian place but a place to uplift the spirits of men. To that effect, the buildings on the grounds are not just any old buildings but are meant to be aesthetically appealing and great attention was paid to detail in their construction. I think you can see that in the above photo.

There are several buildings on the grounds but the most famous is the Moulin Saulnier, a highly decorative building whose frame is of iron with decorative brick infill. It was one of the first buildings in the world to have a visible iron frame structure. Architectural historians often cite it as the one of the most iconic buildings of the Industrial Revolution. Built in 1872 at the same time the entire factory was undergoing expansion the plant was considered the most modern production facility in the world. The mill was powered by hydro-pneumatic turbines, a revolutionary means of power production at the time.






The factory was ever expanding but there was a problem with a shortage of workers. Since Noisiel at the time was just a small town somewhat removed from a source of workers Emile undertook the construction of a workers village adjacent to the plant. The first phase of construction was completed between 1874 and 1876. At the Paris World's Fair in 1878 the company won 7 gold medals plus the Grand Prize for the excellence of their products as well as numerous citations for their methods of production and for the importance they placed on the well being of their workers.

Emile was elected mayor of Noisiel in 1876 and from that time until 1959 successive members of the Menier family were continually elected mayor of the town. He died in 1881 but his three sons, Henri, Gaston and Albert, continued with their efforts to expand the plant and to further look after the needs of its workers. These three were the most responsible for carrying out Emile's vision of an ideal worker society. Before I go on with further explanation let's have a look at some of the homes built for the workers.










You may have noticed that some of the buildings were plastered. All are made of brick but brick exteriors went out of fashion in the mid to late 20th century and some home owners covered their facades in plaster, which was fashionable at the time. Fortunately, funds are being made available to homeowners to remove the plaster to re-expose the underlying brick work. As you can tell by the above photos these are not just shabby little dumps. Each house is 64 square meters and has two stories, plus a basement and an attic. One the first floor are 2 rooms, a kitchen and a living/dining room. The kitchens had storage cabinets, a sink and a stove and the other room had a fireplace. The second floor had two bedrooms, one with a fireplace. Attached to the rear of each house was the outhouse. Although there was no indoor plumbing a town wide sewage system was installed. It automatically flushed every 8 hours and cleaned the sewage away. There were water fountains installed on the street at intervals of every three or four houses. Each house also had its own private garden. The way the houses were situated was such that they were staggered on each side of the street. In this manner when one looked out their window they saw their neighbor's garden, not another building. This was also to allow for circulation of air which along with the water fountains and sewage disposal system was part of the hygienic ideal implemented by the Meniers to improve the health of their workers. You would think that these homes must have been expensive for the workers but the monthly rent on each home ranged from 2 days to 6 days salary, depending on your employment position.

You might be thinking this is a pretty ideal place to work but it only gets better. A whole infrastructure of social and commercial buildings were constructed. There were hotels for the single men (the Meniers had high morals and the houses were for families only) as well as social halls that served as places of entertainment. A post office, school, town hall, parks, other municipal buildings and a whole host of stores to provide the workers with their needed provisions were also constructed. All were built with great attention to detail and high aesthetic standards. Since the village was to be entirely self sufficient a brick manufacture factory was constructed on site and nearby a farm was built to raise animals and grow crops. The farm itself was revolutionary as it is considered one of the first modern era farms where mechanized farm machinery was used and specific buildings were made to raise and house the animals.

The workers could find everything they needed (food, clothing etc.) in the village and the prices were meant to be at cost and very affordable. Since women were also employed at the factory (although at only half the wage of men) they had less time for cooking. No problem since there was a dining hall where they could purchase a hot meal at the end of the day to bring home to the family. The construction of the village was carried out in several phases with the majority of construction being completed between 1874 and 1892. Let's have a look at some of the town's buildings.


Here is the schoolhouse, which also housed a library.



Education of the children was free and mandatory. It started at age two and continued to age 13. At that time the young adults (adulthood came early in those days) could choose to work at the factory or leave and find employment elsewhere. The majority chose to work at the factory. Health care was free for the workers and was paid for by a fund set up by the Meniers. Regular check-ups were mandatory as were regular programs of exercise and fitness.


Here is one of the refectory buildings where workers could purchase a meal or dine in house. In keeping with the moral codes there was a room for the single men, one for young girls and widows and one for couples. It also housed function rooms for balls and parties that were organized by the Meniers.




I'm getting longwinded here and I want to save some stories to tell you in person so I'm moving along to show you the retirement house built for the workers.




By 1893 the Menier factory had established itself as the world's largest chocolate production facility. To help achieve this status they had set up a whole promotional and merchandising campaign. Posters were often placed in shop windows and featured a young girl in a blue dress standing in front of a store window writing the words "Chocolat Menier" on the store window with a chocolate bar. This logo was used on tin ware, plates, bowls, dishes etc. They also set up little octagonal chocolate kiosks that became so popular the company made plastic model kiosks for children that were filled with chocolates. Sort of like the world's first Pez dispenser. These kiosks also became the model for the iconic newsstands that we now see in Paris and throughout France.

World War I marked the beginning of the end for the Menier factory. The war disrupted production while at the same time they were facing pressure from increased international competition. World War II exacerbated these problems and by the 1950's the company was in serious financial trouble. By 1960 they were forced to sell and merge with another company and by 1965 they had lost all their business interests in the operation and further companies purchased interest in the business and the real estate. The final chocolate bars were produced in 1993 and the present owner and occupant of the production facility is the Nestle Chocolate company, who have made this their French corporate headquarters. The facility is on the list to be named a UNESCO world heritage site.

You may be wondering what happened to the workers when the business was sold. They were given an opportunity to buy their homes but the prices were too high for them to afford. In one last act of generosity the Meniers constructed a new retirement village nearby to house all the remaining workers who wished to stay.

That is all there is to show you today so I hope you enjoyed the ride.