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La ville de Beynes
Beynes
A life of pleasure
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 Beynes
is a small town with 7600 inhabitants, typical of the
’Ile de France’ region. Situated on both sides of the
‘Mauldre’ valley, with a surface area of 1856 hectares,
it is the most important of the 29 communes in the
‘Montfort l’Amaury’ region, and also of the 6 communes
which make up the community of the ‘Cœur d’Yvelines’
(The heart of the Yvelines region).
On one hand, it is rural
(countryside and forests in close proximity) but on
the other, it has the advantages of a town with lots
of opportunities to visit beauty spots and
interesting sites or to participate in sporting and
cultural activities : Versailles, Rambouillet, Saint
Germain en Laye, The Seine Valley, Eurodisney,
Asterix Attraction Park and Paris.
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 In
fact, Beynes is situated 40km west of Paris and 20km
from Versailles, in the Yvelines region. It is easy to
travel from Paris, either by car or by rail, with a
direct train from Montparnasse station, passing through
Versailles and its palace.
Ruralism and
intercommunity spirit are the two points on which Beynes
has constructed its identity.
The town is
situated on the border of big urban centres , such as
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines or Plaisir and beside little
rural villages with populations varying from 300 to 1000
inhabitants. The ‘Beynois’ (inhabitants of Beynes) and
their elected council have set their hearts on
preserving the rural spirit of their town, especially
through the control of urban development.
 Beynes,
although split into four main areas and a few hamlets,
asserts its strength by having a relatively homogeneous
population.
The ‘ Beynes) live, either in the ‘Bourg’, in ‘Val des 4
Pignons’, in the ‘Chênes’ or in the ‘Estandart’. These
places rely on each other since facilities are shared
out evenly between them, which means no place is
abandoned. |
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Due to its
communal facilities, as well as to its dynamic
associations, Beynes is perceived as a cultural and
sporting centre. It has lots of members coming from the
surrounding communes, in fact they make up one third of
the total membership of the associations.
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A
LITTLE HISTORY
According to the archives, the name ‘Beynes’
has a latin origin : NIBARNIUM (IX
century), BANIA, BAYNA or BEYNA (1224)
and also a celtic origin : BEINE.
Beynes is a town whose
origins go back to pre-historic times.
The château of Beynes,
situated in the basin of the valley , served
as a second line of defense against
invasions from the Normans or the English.
In the VIII century, the domain of
Beynes depended on the Abbey in Saint-Germain-des-Près. |
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The château served as a military
garrison until the end of the XV century then
became a country house. The château was inherited in
1553 by a popular celebrity, Diane de Poitiers.
In 1967 the
local council of Beynes bought back the château, barely
visible and buried under vegetation.
Several attempts have been made
on the restoration of the long forgotten Beynes
Château.
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SERVICES AND COMMUNAL
FACILITIES
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From
early childhood to retirement,
appropriate organizations are able to cater for the
inhabitants of Beynes.
A crib, a day nursery, three
schools ‘maternelle’ school (3-6 years),
‘élémentaire’ school (6-10 years) and the
‘collège’ (10-15 years).
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Outside school,
two leisure centres cater for the children up until
‘collège’ age.
Anima’Jeunes,
then provide for children from the age of 12 ,
offering activities adapted to their tastes.
Anima’Jeunes, has been a service provided in the
town for many years. During school time, the
qualified staff organize ‘café games’ or evenings
with a theme, and during the holidays they organize
outings and holidays away.
A local council for the young
was set up, which allows 29 youngsters aged
between 10 and 13 to give their views on the commune
and to offer a fresh outlook to the adults. Elected
for two years, they work on the committee using the
same model as their elders, working on subjects such
as solidarity, pedestrian security in the town and
improving park facilities.
A term has just ended, hence a
new team was elected on 24 January 2006.
The older inhabitants have their own place, which
allows them to meet up together, to play cards, to
have discussions and to plan projects. The retired
people of Beynes travel a lot, with the ‘Centre
Communal d’Action Sociale’, the ‘association
des Cheveux d’Argent’ or the ‘association
Loisirs et Découvertes’.
On the cultural side,
Beynes is an important
centre which offers many activities to its
inhabitants
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La Barbacane,
(whose name comes from an architectural part of the
château) is a cultural centre, well known for its
important role in the diffusion of culture in the
region.
In 2006, ‘la Barbacane’ will be
awarded “scene conventionnée” by the Ministry
of Culture, a reward given firstly, for the work
that has already been achieved and secondly allowing
it to carry on with its work in the future. The
Barbacane helps in circulating and creating music,
in all its forms. It also organizes eclectic shows,
mixing theatre, dance, humour...
Moreover, every year, a program designed for young
children of school age, is organised.
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The
municipal music school,
including 550 members (25% of them don’t live in Beynes)
not only offers the possibility to play an instrument,
but also to take part in collective workshops.
Everybody, from 6
months old to 99 years old, is welcome, no matter what
their musical expectations are.
An annual concert is performed by the
students and their teachers and many recitals are
performed throughout the year, in each discipline,
whereby the public are invited to come and listen.
A project called “up-to-the-minute-music” is being developped at the
music school in parallel with the work at the Barbacane.
The most important musical event
related to musical creation, is the musical festival,
around the 21ST June, which gathers in four
places in the town (two podiums are put in the castle
grounds, one in the Barbacane and one in the church)
various artists playing different styles of music :
jazz, reggae, rock, French music, classical music... The
musical festival is the event where amateur musicians
can show off their musical talents.
The annual jazz festival held for the
past couple of years in the castle grounds is becoming
more and more popular and appreciated.
The municipal libraries,
besides their role in promoting reading, also take an
important part in the dynamic activities in the town:
the second-hand book sale, the book exhibition for the
young, the ‘spring of poets’... are the events supported
by both libraries. But they also organize other events
such as exhibitions, inviting story tellers and also
welcoming in the schools, authors and book illustrators.
These 3 cultural centres also work together in order to
offer, for specific events, wider possibilities to the
public.
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 For
the sportive.
The commune of Beynes is very well equipped (gymnasium,
football grounds and stadium). Many activities are
available within the different sports associations. It
is the sports service of the council which manages the
facilities and puts it at the disposition of the
associations. |
THE
ASSOCIATIONS
The Beynes
committee of twin towns is the most recent of the sixty
recreational and cultural associations.
The “foyer rural” that includes 26
sections is the most important association with almost
950 members (nearly half of them are not resident in
Beynes). |
Football,
handball, artistic gymnastics, judo, athletics, tennis,
modern dance, classical dance, jazz dance, drawing,
pottery, billiards, theatre (children, pre-adolescents,
adolescents, adults), stamp collecting, information
technology, trekking, travelling and visiting sites of
cultural interest...
Along with these traditionnal
activities, more original ones exist: a Harley
Davidson club, a club of owners of old vintage cars,
the official French fan club of the Beatles, a group
of gliding fans.
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Also, the
association for the conservation and protection of
Beynes’ heritage castle, is most specific to Beynes.
Other more low key associations exist
in Beynes, having a social purpose: ‘Beynes Emploi’ (job
centre in Beynes), ‘le Secours Catholique’ (the catholic
church charity) and the ‘restos du cœur’ (providing
meals to the underprivileged). |
These
associations are run by an impressive number of
voluntary people whose work makes the animation in the
town so successful.
Besides their own
activities, these volunteers play an important role in
the animation of the Telethon, the Festival of Beynes,
and the Sports festival that will be organised this year
for the second time.
These important events are entirely
organized and run by the members of the associations and
the council.
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ACCOMODATION AND BUSINESSES
Two large
companies are installed in the commune of Beynes. Due to
their activities they participate in the protection of
the countryside. It concerns Gaz de France and the
company Labo Services.
Many craftsmen (plumbing,
electricity, garden, breakdown service, taxi...) and
tradesmen are present in Beynes and offer a real
service of proximity.
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Every Thursday
and Sunday morning, the market takes place near the town
hall. You can find 15 tradesmen there, including 2
fishmongers, 2 butchers, 1 cheesemonger, along with the
merchants of olives, fruit and vegetables, poultry and
farm products, etc.
There is also a
supermarket and 2 mini-markets, a post office, 3
pharmacies, 3 bakeries, 3 bookshop-newsagents, 6
hairdressers and several decoration and craft stores and
other trades…
Several
traditional restaurants and rapid restoration offer the
‘Beynois’ the pleasure to eat with friends around a
table.
A Bed & Breakfast
is based in Beynes and thus makes it possible to lodge
up to 6 people.
Hence, with the
image of its population, Beynes is a dynamic and open
town.
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We would be happy to meet you very
soon in our area.
If, as of now, you
wish to learn a little more on local life and things
happening in our commune, then do not hesitate to
consult our Internet site :
http://www.beynes.fr.
You can
also write to us
at
beynesicietailleurs@free.fr. |
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