This cedar of Lebanon visible along the northern highway, not far from the airport, was part of theold castle park from Roissy-en-France.
Legend has it that the botanist Bernard de Jussieu would have brought back the plants during a trip to England. It was around 1760 that Victor-Maurice de Riquet, Count of Caraman and owner of the Château de Roissy, had them planted. The Caramans, a family of engineers and soldiers to whom we owe the design of the Canal du Midi, acquired the seigneury of Roissy in 1725. . From 1764, Victor-Maurice transformed the castle gardens into a landscaped park, inspiring Marie-Antoinette for her Petit-Trianon at Versailles.
Archaeological excavations and archival plans allow us to know the evolution of the castle park in the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. Thus, the archaeologists have notably unearthed part of the water supply system of the gardens of Roissy, presented at the ARCHÉA Museum, in the Louvres.
Two isolated cedars are the only vestiges of this composite garden, between English and French traditions.
They would have been protected from slaughter by Georges Pompidou, then Prime Minister, during the scouting of the route of the motorway in 1960. They are labeled remarkable trees.
To admire the cedar, do not hesitate to go up to the 6th floor of the Suites Novotel, the window at the end of the corridor will offer you a breathtaking view of this favorite tree of Roissy-en-France, or to admire the cedar tercentenary located in the heart of the park.
All rights reserved. The texts are written by Henri HOUMAIRE