Fontainebleau, USA News (Fontainebleau, France): In Seine-et-Marne, how did Fontainebleau take shape across the centuries? That is the question Francis Menard seeks to answer with his new book, La ville de Fontainebleau a travers les plans et vues historiques. Already the author of a previous work on the history of the Maison des Compagnons in Fontainebleau, this heritage enthusiast offers a genuine journey through time chronicling the imperial city’s history. The richly illustrated publication highlights an unrecognized urban history.
"Fontainebleau is a famous city, but one that still today remains hidden by its chateau and in the shadow of its forest," he emphasizes.
More Than 20,000 Archives
Published by Action et Sauvegarde de Fontainebleau (ASF), this work aligns with the association’s mission to promote and preserve local heritage. A longtime member of the ASF, Francis Menard has contributed to this effort by collecting historical archives regarding the city for nearly 25 years. This painstaking endeavor has enabled the association to gather more than 20,000 documents dedicated to Fontainebleau.
"In addition to our fine reserve of archives, we have the advantage of knowing the city’s plans, cartographies, and land registers very well. With this book, I wanted to value and share all these elements to make them accessible to everyone," the author explains.
Spanning 70 pages, the publication brings together roughly fifty historical documents created by prestigious cartographers, royal court architects, and renowned painters. These representations make it possible to trace the major transformations of the city while discovering the evolution of methods and techniques utilized to create the plans.
"Maps allow us to understand the city’s history differently. They act as a witness to a reality at a given moment and allow us to observe its evolution concretely," Francis Menard summarizes.
500 Years of History
The book featuring historic plans and views is organized into three distinct sections. The first briefly presents the evolution of cartography and the art of mapmaking in order to better contextualize and understand the utilized archives.
The second and most substantial part unfolds a broad chronological retrospective of major series of plans and engravings, stretching from the reign of Henry IV up to the end of the First World War. Through these representations, readers discover how the city progressively developed around its chateau while the urban territory was still quite limited.
Finally, the last section focuses on several emblematic sites of local heritage. The obelisk, the Belle-Eau fountain—which reportedly gave Fontainebleau its name—and the Provenvaux district are highlighted in light of their historical evolution to make "past and present converse." These present numerous opportunities to rediscover familiar places known to residents, some of which have crossed the centuries while others have vanished, offering a fresh perspective on the evolving urban landscape.
"The goal of this book is to provide keys to reading local heritage and to understand how Fontainebleau has been represented over the centuries," the archivist concludes.
Conference Details
To present this publication to the public, the association is organizing a conference at the Maison des Compagnons, located at 26 rue de la Cloche, on Thursday, November 5, at 6:00 PM. The book is sold for 20 euros and is available at the Maison des Compagnons as well as at the Michel bookstore in Fontainebleau.
