Visit Dampierre-en-Yvelines, villages within a village

A historic village surrounded by several hamlets, Dampierre is home to a wide variety of heritage treasures that bear witness to centuries gone by. 

Domaine de Dampierre, the vibrant heart of the village

Starting with the château, whose imposing spaces contrast with the narrowness of this bustling village. 

At the end of a paved courtyard of honour, and preceded by a majestic gate, the Château de Dampierre, built of sandstone and brick, is a work of architecture in its own right. Commissioned by the de Luynes family and Colbert, the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart led the construction project while building the Château de Versailles for King Louis XIV.

The vast park surrounding the Domaine de Dampierre covers almost 400 hectares. Since March 2019, you can take a leisurely stroll through the park and take part in a wide range of activities, such as boat tours, orienteering courses and observation of the deer, stags and wild boar that live here.

 The entire estate, now listed as a Historic Monument, is the “vibrant heart” of the village centre that grew up around it.

The village centre and its church

Stroll through the village from terrace to terrace and be charmed by the small square and its pretty old houses, as well as the many courtyards, country lanes and porches that recall the village’s rural character and contrast with the opulent residences of the early 20th century.

Enter Saint-Pierre church, built in the 13th century and remodelled in the 19th to allow the road to be widened. Inside, several religious objects are worthy of note: a white marble Virgin and Child from the Second Empire, and a sculpted work bench dated 1733 and decorated with two keys, an attribute of the church’s patron saint, with the apostle’s initials on the backrest. On your way out, take a look at the charming “venelle de l’étang” and the former presbytery, one of the most beautiful houses in the village.

The Maison de Fer

On the heights of Dampierre, an “Iron House” created for the 1889 Universal Exhibition by the Duclos workshops, close friends of Gustave Eiffel. Able to be dismantled, it is now used by hiking groups. 

Le Mousseau, agricultural plain

Further afield, the hamlet of Mousseau and the Valence plain also retain their rural character. You’ll be amazed by the diversity of our landscapes, from the vast agricultural plains of Le Mousseau and Valence with their incomparable skies, to the wooded hillsides overlooking the “rouillons”, the Rambouillet national forest, the lush green course of the Yvette and the majesty of the étangs des Roches for peaceful fishing.

Maincourt-sur-Yvette and its educational trail

The commune’s identity is also revealed in Maincourt-sur-Yvette, the last hamlet of old houses that make up the village of Dampierre-en-Yvelines. Its most striking feature is undoubtedly its “town hall-church”, which since 1890 has housed the town hall and Saint-Germain de Paris church in the same building (built in the 16th century, demolished in 1819 and rebuilt in 1820).

As you leave, turn right and admire the old Maincourt mill, one of the oldest in France, the reed bed and, at the edge of the wood, the Guard’s house.

To the right, on the edge of the forest, a charming washhouse dating from 1891 replaces the one donated by Gui de Lévis in 1204.

Last but not least, the Maincourt educational trail, designed by the Upper Chevreuse Valley Regional Nature Park, takes you through one of the largest marshes in the valley, providing information on its history, flora and fauna, as well as its ecology and the presence of quarries in the late 19th century.

Accessible to all, the site offers a timeless stroll.

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