Informations directionnelles

A l’intersection du Vieux chemin de Pontoise et de l’Ancienne route de Beauvai, gagner La croix de May .

Prochain point : Lat.49.06921, Long. 2.10823

Overview on the vast scenery

Implemented on a plateau overlooking the Oise, between 80 and 100 m of altitude, Ennery is at the exact boarder of the Pontoise area, historical capital of the French Vexin. Despite this closeness with a very urban territory, Ennery is still a rural area with only 14 % of erected surfaces on its 745 hectares. The plateau counts several valleys and gullies stemming from the Oise river, but the village itself does not have a waterway as such.

A farming plateau, source of wealth

The inhabitants have known for quite some time how to take advantage of this environment. The hillside does not favour the implantation of houses, with lands that are more difficult to care for. It was therefore planted with vines for many years. Wine-growing was well represented in the Oise valley until the end of the 19th century, where the phylloxera plague severely hit and lead to its disappearance. The plateau, however, holds a very rich and fertile land encouraging cereal farming. The latter opened up the scenery as soon as the Middle Ages. This open-scenery and the relative altitude of the plateau give an endless view and enable us when the weather is good, to see the buildings of the La Défense district as well as the Eiffel Tower.

A town that has been inhabited for quite some time

The evidence of settlements in Ennery are quite old. In fact, in 2005 a Gallic habitat was excavated and searched, where the present ‘parc d’activités’ stands. A Gallo-Roman habitat north of the town was also studied. The parish settled during the Middle Ages and several families of seigneurs successionally lived on the fiefdom of Ennery. The geographic proximity with Pontoise also had some consequences for Ennery: the English troops stayed there during the siege of Pontoise during the 100 Years War, and Henri de Navarre, Henri IV- to-be, installed his military campsite in 1589 during the wars of religion. Much later, in the 1970’s, the proximity with Ville-Nouvelle importantly increased the population. However, the town of Ennery did its best to keep its rural personality and to avoid a too prominent urban spreading.