ThePays de France (French pronunciation:[pe.idəfʁɑ̃s], literallyLand of France), also called theParisis ([paʁizi]) orPlaine de France ([plɛndəfʁɑ̃s]), is anatural region located in theÎle-de-Franceadministrative region to the north ofParis,France. It is essentially asiltplain devoted tocerealcrops, of which the southern part is included in the northernsuburbs of Paris and greatly urbanised, and also includesCharles de Gaulle Airport.
Administratively, the region corresponds approximately to the east ofVal-d'Oisedepartment, with part ofSeine-Saint-Denis and the northwestern fringe ofSeine-et-Marne.
The Pays de France is delimited in the south west by theSeine, in the west by the forests ofMontmorency andCarnelle, in the east by theRiver Marne and the heights ofDammartin, and in the north by theChantilly Forest andMontmélian hill.[1] It is bordered by theVexin français to the west, by theGoële to the east, by theBrie region to the southeast, and by theValois and thePays de Thelle to the north. To the south are theMantois,Hurepoix andPays d'Aulnoye regions. In modern times, theParisian agglomeration has encroached on many of these traditionally defined areas and now makes up a new form of natural region.
Two tectonic accidents have had a powerful influence on the geological structure of the Pays de France: theSeinesyncline with the associatedSaint-Denis basin, in the west, and theLouvresanticline, in the east.
Theoutcrops, such as theButte-Pinson atMontmagny,Pierrefitte andVilletaneuse and the Butte d'Écouen atVilliers-le-Bel andÉcouen, contain significant deposits ofgypsum; which was mined both in open pits and underground until the first half of the twentieth century. The mining has weakened the structure of the ground to the extent that several risk prevention plans need to be developed.
One very large depression, 2 to 3 kilometres (1.2 to 1.9 mi) across, betweenDugny and the Seine, is traversed by three small rivers: the Croult, the Vieille Mer and the Rouillon.
The upperwater table (Eocene strata) includes two lower-levelaquifers up to 90 metres (300 ft) in total height. It forms part of the general water table which is fed both by the watershed of the Seine and Marne and by lower aquifers. It is greatly influenced byprecipitation and fluctuates significantly in depth, but in general lies close to the surface, requiring special care in sealing cellars and basements.
Until 1975, the aquifer was used for industrial purposes atSevran and on the Saint-Denis Plain (the southern part of the Pays de France), and also formarket gardening. Since theBartonian sub-aquifer contains too many minerals for human consumption, theLutetian sub-aquifer was occasionally tapped inVal-d'Oise.
In order to limit seasonal rising of the water table, there are plans to find new urban applications for the water. This is recommended, for example, in the environmental plan for theagglomeration community ofPlaine Commune.
The Pays de France is a plain which has traditionally had a prosperous agricultural economy (particularly cereal crops andsugar beets) based on its fertilesilt soils. Formerly there was extensive market gardening north of Paris; this has been progressively reduced by the expansion of built-up areas, industrial zones and warehouses.
Major north-south communication routes cross it—Route nationale 1, theA1 autoroute and theLGV Nord—and bothCharles de Gaulle andLe Bourget airports lie within it. The Le Bourgetmarshalling yard and the firstbus station in France,Garonor, are also located there.
The Plaine de France is one of the most fragile areas in theÎle-de-France. It has been badly affected by the de-industrialisation of the region, since it had specialised in heavy industry, especially in the southern part, and severalhousing developments had been built there to house the workers. A significant number of these developments have been the subject ofurban renewal projects, either instigated by or in association with the French National Association for Urban Renewal (Agence nationale pour la rénovation urbaine or ANRU). There are 32sensitive urban zones within it.
During the 1980s and 1990s, the middle classes tended to leave the area, and while the average income of Parisians and residents of theHauts-de-Seine increased 23% between 1984 and 1998, that of residents ofLa Courneuve,Aubervilliers orSarcelles fell 15%.[2]
The Plaine de France is undergoing profound changes. Every year, approximately 91,000 residents leave the area and an equivalent number settle there. Numerous urban renewal projects are underway, instigated by the municipalities or urban agglomerations such as Plaine Commune, often with the assistance of the regional governmental planning agency, theÉtablissement public d'aménagement de la Plaine de France. Economic expansion is being driven by, for example, thePlaine Saint-Denis and Charles de Gaulle Airport, which employs more than 85,000 people and creates associated jobs, notably in logistics.[2]
The renewal of the area will be facilitated by planned upgrades to regional transportation infrastructure such as theRER B andD and the creation of new infrastructure such as thetramways lines 5 and 8 (under construction), the plannedTangentielle Nord railway and theCDG Express rail link between Paris and Charles de Gaulle Airport (under study).
The word 'France' appears in the time of the firstMerovingians, in the fifth century. In the 6th century it was used to designate the entire area grantedin fief by them, from theRhine to theLoire. InCarolingian times, the area so designated was reduced to territory located betweenAustrasia andNeustria, and during the tenth and eleventh centuries, was further reduced to apply only to the north east of Paris. There was doubtless a subdivision of theDiocese of Paris corresponding to the area, theArchdeaconry of France.[3]
The earliest preserved occurrence of the designationde France is in an 1126 document referring to theAbbey of St. Denis asMonasterii beati dyonisii de Francia. This abbey may be the reason for the extension of the designation to the whole region, since its possessions constituted a large part of the area. By the end of the Middle Ages, approximately all of today's region was referred to asen France orde France. Beginning in the Renaissance, it was included in a larger territory termed the Île-de-France, while the area to the north east of Paris continued to be designated "France". Numerous documents of theAncien Régime make use of the term, which was then applied to 82 villages and hamlets.[4]
During theFrench Revolution, the designation appears to have fallen into disuse. Currently, eight settlements (communes) have it as part of their names:Baillet-en-France,Belloy-en-France,Bonneuil-en-France,Châtenay-en-France,Mareil-en-France,Puiseux-en-France,Roissy-en-France,[4] and since August 1989Tremblay-en-France, which was previously called Tremblay-lès-Gonesse.
The Pays de France was inhabited byhunter-gatherers during theLower Palaeolithic, as shown byAcheulean andLevalloishand axes andracloirs which have been found atGonesse,Villiers-le-Bel,Fontenay-en-Parisis,Puiseux-en-France andLouvres. Several finds also attest toNeolithic occupation: polished or cutaxes and some drills orscrapers found in the area in the 1950s. Archaeological investigations in the Pays de France have identified more than 20 agricultural sites and three small settlements plus three fortified sites and an ancient burial ground.[5]
During theMigration Age and the Merovingian and Carolingian eras, there are few sources on the history of the area, merely mentions of some of the settlements:Luzarches,Écouen,Ézanville,Louvres andMareil-en-France. Fournecropoles have been uncovered at Luzarches, Mareil-en-France,Sarcelles and Thimécourt. But the current pattern of villages in the Pays de France did not develop until the twelfth century.[6]
Beginning in the twelfth century, the Plaine de France was part of the originalroyal demesne of theCapetian kings. Its location immediately adjacent to Paris made it economically dependent on the city from an early date. Thanks to its fertile soils, covered with a thick layer ofsilt, under theAncien Régime it provided food for the capital, especiallycorn and bread from the bakeries atGonesse. For this reason also, it was a coveted area, divided intofiefs also from the twelfth century on. The great monastic foundations of Paris and the region around it held a large acreage of agricultural land. In addition to the Abbey of St. Denis, which was established in the early Middle Ages,Chaalis Abbey erected three very largegranges during the twelfth century for storing cereal crops, which were farmed with the assistance oflay brothers. The abbey estates of Stains atVilleneuve-sous-Dammartin, Choisy-aux-Bœufs atVémars andVaulerent atVilleron all exceed 200 hectares (490 acres) and were farmed intensively.[7]
From the tenth to the seventeenth century, the majority of the Plaine de France was governed by theHouse of Montmorency. SuccessiveDukes constructed numerous castles and forts, for example theChâteau d'Écouen, which dates to the sixteenth century. Beginning in the Renaissance, the area rose to prominence, with the renovation and expansion of churches and improvements to aristocratic residences to symbolise local power.
In the nineteenth century, railway lines were built and caused the development of urban centres around the new stations, as far north asFosses andSurvilliers and as far east asMitry-Mory. The first housing subdivisions developed, many to serve Parisians on holiday, and led to further urban development outside the old agricultural centres. In the twentieth century, the area then became an outlet for the rapid growth of the Parisian agglomeration, with its southern part industrialising and being massively urbanised by the development of popular housing estates along theParis–Lille railway, for example atVilliers-le-Bel andGoussainville. This development continued between the wars, with further housing andgarden cities being built in the still only lightly urbanised area.Villiers-le-Bel,Arnouville-lès-Gonesse,Gonesse,Goussainville,Aulnay-sous-Bois andStains grew by fifty to one hundred houses a year, gradually producing a suburban residential landscape.
After theSecond World War, large housing estates were rapidly built on cheap available land at places such asSaint-Denis,Sarcelles,Garges-lès-Gonesse,Aulnay-sous-Bois,Sevran and Tremblay-lès-Gonesse (nowTremblay-en-France) in response to the post-war French housing crisis; this was connected to anexodus from the countryside and to destruction of housing during the war, but also to the need to house people repatriated fromAlgeria (notably atSarcelles) and toslum clearance. The French government's creation of urban prioritisation zones (zones à urbaniser en priorité) was one of the means facilitating the creation of these thousands of homes, which were urgently needed at the time, but had a severe effect on the southern part of the Pays de France, creating concentrations of poverty andde facto ethnic and socialghettos.
The Pays de France also serves important functions for the functioning of the Parisian metropolitan area, notably in the area of logistics; for example, since the early 1970sCharles de Gaulle Airport has occupied 3,500 hectares (8,600 acres) there.
However, the northern half of the area retains its rural character, which has been protected by its partial integration into a regionalnature park, theParc naturel régional Oise-Pays de France.
Because of its flatness and heavy concentration on growing cereal crops, the Pays de France has relatively little tourism. However, it has numerous interesting churches, particularly from the Renaissance, such asSt. Acceul atÉcouen (known particularly for its stained glass windows) and the churches atVilliers-le-Bel,Gonesse,Luzarches andBelloy-en-France, and also the picturesque hilltop village ofChâtenay-en-France, which offers a view of the entire region. TheChâteau d'Écouen, built forAnne de Montmorency, became the National Museum of the Renaissance in 1977.
The rural northern section of the region, with fifteen rural settlements, makes up theParc naturel régional Oise-Pays de France, founded in 2004.
