Doesn’t Route de Bry sound like a journey through time? It is more than just a road. It is a corridor connecting us to centuries past.
Route de Bry is located in Villiers-sur-Marne. Villiers-sur-Marne is part of the Val-de-Marne department in the Île-de-France region. This places it in the eastern suburbs of Paris. The department itself is named after the Marne River.
The town of Bry-sur-Marne got its name from the Celtic word “Briw.” Briw means a bridge or a river crossing. This hints at the area’s ancient origins. The town’s motto is “Moult viel que Paris”. This is old French. It means “Much older than Paris.” Route de Bry probably shares in this history.
Archaeological finds confirm the long history of the area near Route de Bry. In 1903, bones of a large bovine from 15,000 years ago were found. In 1982, a 5th-century BC woman’s skeleton was discovered. These finds show that people have lived near Route de Bry for millennia.
The first written mention of Bry was in 861 in a charter by King Charles the Bald. The first church in Bry-sur-Marne was built in 1130. Route de Bry has likely seen countless changes.
Robert de Châtillon became Bry’s feudal lord in 1404. He was a cousin of King Charles VI. His castle is gone but the current chateau was built in the 1690s. It became the town hall in 1866. It was rebuilt after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.
The railway arrived in 1926 and the motorway in 1970. The RER, a commuter rail line, came in 1977. The town’s hospital was built in 1936.
One of Bry’s treasures is a diorama by Louis Daguerre. The painting changes to mimic daylight and night. Painted candlesticks even light up. It is kept in the local church.
Bry-sur-Marne is twinned with Sawbridgeworth in England and Moosburg an der Isar in Germany since 1973.
As you travel Route de Bry, imagine the lives that have crossed here. Think of the Celtic tribes, feudal lords and modern commuters. They have all left their mark on this ancient path.