Houdan
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Houdan is a French commune with a population of about 3,000.
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[edit] Geography
Houdan is 63km west of Paris in the Yvelines département. It is linked by SNCF Alençon and Paris (Gare Montparnasse).
[edit] History
The name has evolved from the Saxon "Hoding," meaning "settlement on the hill". Houdan is thought to have been inhabited since the 5th century. By the 12th century, two churches and a chateau were present.
During the Hundred Years' War, the town changed hands and was pillaged frequently. The town was destroyed; only the 12th century keep survives that period. After the war, the town was under English administration until 1475.
Houdan is mentioned in the Prophecies of Nostradamus.
Houdan was a staging post on the road from Paris to Brittany, and many old inns are still standing.
Houdan was also an important poultry market for Paris, and a breed of is named for the town. Members of the breed ornamental, but are also used for their white eggs and their meat.
[edit] Sites of touristic interest
- vestiges of the old town wall and its towers
- old houses of the 15th and 16th centuries
- 12th century keep (built ca. 1130-1140)
- church, 15th - 17th centuries, containing an historic organ of L.A. Clicquot (1735)
[edit] Twinned cities
[edit] External links
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