The ancient forest of Yveline is the cradle of the valley of Chevreuse. Populated since the prehistory era, it is then organized around its three Roman ways. The first kings partly entrust it to Parisian abbeys, resulting into a marked Christian establishment. At the heart of the Middle Ages, dungeons of the big feudal submied to Capétiens.
The wars of religion succeed the devastations of the One hundred Year old war. Lordships are then purchased by rich owners and the royal officers. Under Louis XIV, Port-Royal becomes a center of spiritual revival, while the surroundings of Versailles are covered with castles. Neither the conflicts nor progress denatured these landscapes safe from industrialization. The artistic, intellectual and economic bonds with the capital multiplied, guaranteeing prosperity. The territory is gifted with a remarkable historical and architectural inheritance. Within a rural and looked after framework, the rivers draw small valleys, and about half of space remains wooded. The brittleness of this park to the coveted richnesses is due to its smallness and its location in the heart of the Paris area. It is a question of preserving while controlling urbanization and development.

Card of identity Created in 1985 on the departments of the High Rhine Yvelines(Île-de-France) Nbr of townships: 21 Surface: 24 500 ha Nbr of inhabitants: 42 000

Haute-Vallée de Chevreuse
Château de la Madeleine
Chemin Jean Racine
78472 Chevreuse cedex
Tél. 01 30 52 09 09 - Fax. 01 30 52 12 43