Enghien-les-Bains: a different kind of suburb
May 22, 2013 11:58:00 GMT
Post by Deleted on May 22, 2013 11:58:00 GMT
The town of Enghien is a bit different from the other suburbs of Paris. While there are plenty of suburbs with châteaux, ancient churches, fabulous gardens and various historical sites, Enghien is the only place in the suburbs with the status of a resort town due to its thermal spa and casino.
The sulfur springs were already known back in the Middle Ages, but it was a nasty, swampy area which mostly kept people away rather than attracting them. But in 1772, the person operating the spring and important source of pure water in Passy (now part of Paris), got a permit to develop the spring in Enghien. However to show you what an administratively controlled country France is, he was unable to do anything for four years because he had not obtained authorisation from the medical school. When all of the red tape was settled, he got a concession for 60 years and he was in business.
The French take their thermal springs seriously, so by 1781 and new stone basin had been built and there was already public transportation by carriage to get there. Articles appeared in the medical press about the wonderful healing properties of the water, which was particularly effective on the disgusting sores that many people had on their legs back then. I would tend to think that if they had just washed their legs in clean water more often, they probably wouldn't have those sores, but we have all read about how Europeans back in those days thought that water was to be avoided and that washing was basically an unhealthy activity and probably a bit pervy. But if they could dip themselves in medical water on doctor's orders, that was all right!
The first hotel was built in 1822, and the town began to develop. When the railroad arrived in 1846, there was a rush to Enghien -- which in fact did not exist yet. The thermal spa and the surrounding constructions were on parts of 4 different villages, which were all disputing claims to the place. A law was finally voted in 1850 to create the town of Enghien-les-Bains. The other towns were enraged, and they have never forgiven Enghien for existing. In fact, for a century Enghien was a weird little pocket of wealth embedded deep in the communist red belt ringing the north and east of Paris.
Enghien-les-Bains had its own private local train line until 1954, it has 2 SNCF stations and it had various tramway lines going in all directions, including one that when to Place de Clichy in Paris.
The thermal spa became a minor attraction quite quickly once the town existed -- because it built the first casino in France, a racetrack for horse racing and a big theatre. The glory days of Enghien were during the Belle Epoque, which as you know ended brutally on a certain day in June 1914. The casino closed and became a military hospital and all other entertainments were banned except a Sunday concert at the music kiosk.
After the war, France tried to be a bit more moral -- and casinos were banned within 100 kilometers of the capital in 1920. After much negotiation, the casino was able to reopen in 1930 but only for a limited number of table games. In any case they were back in business, and the main train station of Enghien was the 3rd most important station in northern France after Gare du Nord and Lille.
Life was disrupted again when the casino closed on September 2nd, 1939 and the town was occupied by the German army starting in June 1940. The casino reopened in 1946 and is the casino with the highest revenue in France. Apparently it is creeping up on the biggest casino in Europe (Estoril, Portugal) and may pass it in revenue this year, with a little help from the economic crisis.
Anyway, I hadn't been there for a long time, so I took the train on Monday. It is really quite close to Paris -- only 4 stations out of Gare du Nord.
The new commuter trains are really excellent.
The sulfur springs were already known back in the Middle Ages, but it was a nasty, swampy area which mostly kept people away rather than attracting them. But in 1772, the person operating the spring and important source of pure water in Passy (now part of Paris), got a permit to develop the spring in Enghien. However to show you what an administratively controlled country France is, he was unable to do anything for four years because he had not obtained authorisation from the medical school. When all of the red tape was settled, he got a concession for 60 years and he was in business.
The French take their thermal springs seriously, so by 1781 and new stone basin had been built and there was already public transportation by carriage to get there. Articles appeared in the medical press about the wonderful healing properties of the water, which was particularly effective on the disgusting sores that many people had on their legs back then. I would tend to think that if they had just washed their legs in clean water more often, they probably wouldn't have those sores, but we have all read about how Europeans back in those days thought that water was to be avoided and that washing was basically an unhealthy activity and probably a bit pervy. But if they could dip themselves in medical water on doctor's orders, that was all right!
The first hotel was built in 1822, and the town began to develop. When the railroad arrived in 1846, there was a rush to Enghien -- which in fact did not exist yet. The thermal spa and the surrounding constructions were on parts of 4 different villages, which were all disputing claims to the place. A law was finally voted in 1850 to create the town of Enghien-les-Bains. The other towns were enraged, and they have never forgiven Enghien for existing. In fact, for a century Enghien was a weird little pocket of wealth embedded deep in the communist red belt ringing the north and east of Paris.
Enghien-les-Bains had its own private local train line until 1954, it has 2 SNCF stations and it had various tramway lines going in all directions, including one that when to Place de Clichy in Paris.
The thermal spa became a minor attraction quite quickly once the town existed -- because it built the first casino in France, a racetrack for horse racing and a big theatre. The glory days of Enghien were during the Belle Epoque, which as you know ended brutally on a certain day in June 1914. The casino closed and became a military hospital and all other entertainments were banned except a Sunday concert at the music kiosk.
After the war, France tried to be a bit more moral -- and casinos were banned within 100 kilometers of the capital in 1920. After much negotiation, the casino was able to reopen in 1930 but only for a limited number of table games. In any case they were back in business, and the main train station of Enghien was the 3rd most important station in northern France after Gare du Nord and Lille.
Life was disrupted again when the casino closed on September 2nd, 1939 and the town was occupied by the German army starting in June 1940. The casino reopened in 1946 and is the casino with the highest revenue in France. Apparently it is creeping up on the biggest casino in Europe (Estoril, Portugal) and may pass it in revenue this year, with a little help from the economic crisis.
Anyway, I hadn't been there for a long time, so I took the train on Monday. It is really quite close to Paris -- only 4 stations out of Gare du Nord.
The new commuter trains are really excellent.
