According to some historians, the port was already a warehouse in Roman times. In the Middle Ages, monks working to clear the forest of Cruie (Marly) encouraged the development of the town, and therefore of the port, ideally sheltered in a loop of the Seine. At a time when the river was the surest means of communication, it offered the town an ideal outlet. A notarized document attests to the existence of a port called "port de la Loge" or "port de Marly". In the 14th-15th century, when the younger branch of the Montmorency family reigned over Haut Marly, the lords of Prunay, their vassals, owned the manor house and farm located on the territory of the port and Louveciennes. Covered with vines, the Marly hillsides produced a claret deemed worthy of gracing the royal table. Barrels were shipped via the port to Paris, Normandy and England. In 1572, Jacques Nicolas, a burgher of Paris, bequeathed a port and a passageway called "Port de la Loge", where he installed a ferry. In the 17th century, Louis XIV, who had left Saint-Germain for the splendors of Versailles, enjoyed some relaxation at his residence in Marly. For the needs of the court, he issued letters patent giving precedence to the port of Marly over that of Aupec (Le Pecq). By the 18th century, the port's goods traffic had grown to such an extent that it required the presence of a royal notary. At the time, the port's working population numbered 165 (700 inhabitants), all of whom worked on the river or in the lime kilns. It was in the last quarter of this century that the village underwent its most profound transformation. In 1778, Louis XVI endowed the village with a chapel, which soon became the parish church of Saint-Louis (1785). It was on the basis of this parish that the inhabitants asked to be detached from Marly and elected their own municipality. Le Port-Marly became an independent commune in February 1790. By the end of the Revolution, the population had dwindled to just 500, commerce had collapsed, the church was in ruins, and Louis XVI's school was closed. The 19th century saw the town rebuilt: in 1806, the château (former manor house of the Lords of Prunay) was rebuilt; in 1819, the territory had grown to 144 hectares; in 1846, the novelist Alexandre Dumas had the Château de Monte-Cristo built on the Montferrands hillside. Finally, in 1850, there was a major demographic, commercial and industrial boom, thanks to the opening up of the village to provincials who had fallen victim to the rural exodus, to all the activities on the banks of the Seine, and to the industries, quarries and other chalk mining galleries. In 1853, the Rodrigue-Henriquès family moved into the Château des Lions, where they welcomed the painter Camille Corot, whose famous paintings over the next twenty years would make Port-Marly even more famous. The changing colors of the river also inspired Alfred Sisley, Camille Pissarro and Albert Lebourg. Even today, the towpath along the Seine and its barges are home to many artists. The first half of the 20th century saw the decline of the town: in 1914, the Great War emptied the town, and in 1940, the port ceased its commercial activities. It wasn't until 1950 that we saw a new demographic explosion, urbanization and heavy traffic (with the N13).

What to visit Le Port-Marly?

Weather at the moment

Loading...
Organize your trip with our partners Le Port-Marly
Transportation
Accommodation & stays
Services / On site

Pictures and images Le Port-Marly

There are currently no photos for this destination.

Find unique Stay Offers with our Partners

Send a reply