Built between 1634 and 1646 in the heart of the XVIIe century, this architectural jewel is the forerunner of the Château of Vaux le Vicomte and the palace of Versailles.

At the request of Rene Longueil, a great lord of the realm and politician close to Mazarin, the Château of Maisons met a concern: to be close to the Court. So Louis XIV, Anne of Austria and Marie-Thérèse stayed there on several occasions.

• The Entrance Hall whose vault is supported by eight doric columns and the great staircase, the architect's remarkable and innovative works.
• The apartment of the King is preceeded by the Ball Room, boasting tapestries of the Goblins of the XVIIIe century: "The Hunts of Maximilien". The King's bedroom offers, a remarkable replica of the XVIIe century bed.
• The apartment of the queen, which, over time, became that of the Marechal Lannes.
• The apartment of "Fame" or of the Count of Artois, whose current design and decoration are owed to Bélanger and Lhuillier.

In 1777, the count of Artois, brother of Louis XVI and future Charles X, bought the estate of Maisons. A great horse enthusiast, he installed his English race horses in the superb stables of the Château.

In 1828, the first race meeting took place along the Seine, at the foot of the Château, then the property of J.Laffitte. His nephew, Charles, and his son-in-law, the Prince of Moskowa, were the hosts. Shortly afterwards they became founders of the Jockey Club, which is the cornerstone of French racing.

The Racecourse was opened by Joseph Oller on June 6th 1878. Apart from the longest straight line of the world, the "racket-head shape" of the racecourse allows wide variety of races. More than 30 meetings take place every year.

The training Center is among the most beautiful in Europe. 100 km of gallops, over 50 hectares, make a unique work setting which prepares the horses for flat and jump racing. It is the only place where exact replicas of the famous Auteuil obstacles can be found.

70 trainers, true professional, maximise the horses'athletic potential. In Maisons-Laffitte, the Tote shows the most profitable source of income in France per horse in training.

Talented craftsmen, involved with the world of horses, gastronomy, culinary skills, the restoration of furniture and old paintings are in Maisons-Laffitte, the center of their universe. They combine art of working with the art of living.

Lots of artists have come here to find peace and inspiration such as Idel Ianchelevici, the famous Belgian sculptor of Rumanian origin, in 1950. The Cultural Centre created in a lovely house of 1848, in the heart of "Old Maisons", near the Old Church, houses about sixty his works.

The Horses Rooms situated in the Château of Maisons is the third of its kind after those of Newmarket and Saratoga in the USA. It retraces the history of racing through a permanent exhibition of great interest. Temporary exhibitions, all dedicated to the horse, add to this "magnificent epic".

• Musical Nights, in March established more than 20 years ago.
• The Pegasus Prize for short stories presented in June at the racecourse, which brings together manusccrits from all the French speaking countries.
• The Comic strip Exhibition takes place every spring. The exhibitors show their original drawings there.
• The Painting Exhibition, at the end of the autumn, displays creations from a number of French artists.

The estate of Maisons conceived by Rene de Longueil consisted of, apart from the Château, large stables equal in beauty to those of Versailles and Chantilly as well as a Park of more than 300 hectares. In 1658, Louis XIV gave the ground of Maisons the status of Marquisate and gave authorisationfor the park to be enclosed.

Jacques-Laffitte bought the estate in 1818. In 1833 for financial reasons, he decided to parcel out the Park which was to become "a town composed of country houses".

Of the plans of François Mansart, there still exist, in particular, the Royal Entrance, later the North Cellars, at the edge of the Saint-Germain forest and situated in the prospect of the Great Courtyard of the Château. Jacques Laffitte anxious to protect the residential character of his estate and a certain number of private wooded areas gave it a detailed set of regulations, which are still in force.

The first buyers were middle-class Parisians belonging to the world of business and entertainment. Thirty years later, the construction began the most beautiful training stables for racehorses.

In 150 years, the "Grand Park", place of holiday homes, of luxury and of pleasure, has welcomed numerous personalities such as F Jay-gould, Aga Khan, J Fath, J Cocteau... Today, for visitors, their former properties remain interesting historical sites.

This small town at the foot of the Great Terrace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, standing by the Seine, retains an an agricultural economy from its predominantly rural history. This land of vineyards and orchards has been occupied for 50 years by large market gardening areas.

François Ier was brought up in the Château de Vaux, known as "The Nursery", where he was later to keep his hunting horses. The Salamander and the Hunting Falcon are reminders of the past. Later, Louis XIV will often went to visit Mademoiselle de Lavallière who owned a house on the banks of the Seine.

From the end of XVème century, families connected to the Court came to live on the lands of Le Mesnil: Antoine Méroet, Jean de la Salle, the Le Moyne family to whom we owe the construction of the church consecrated in 1587, under the reign of Henri III. In 1789, the marquis of Lally Tollendal settled there, in his turn, and when the Revolution came, the count of Artois, who owned Maisons, was the last lord of this "small estate".

In the XIXème century, Laffitte settled in Maisons and Le Mesnil-le-Roi welcomed the rich middle-class. We should note in particular Emile Littré who bought in 1847 a property in which he edited, between 1863 and 1872, the famous Dictionary of the French Language.