Tourist guide - Office de Tourisme de Villeneuve-sur-Yonne

Villeneuve
sur
Yonne
Your destination in burgundy
between modernity & tradition
Tourist guide

The story
of Villeneuvesur-Yonne
Villeneuve-sur-Yonne is ideally located on
the banks of the River Yonne and set amidst
rolling hills covered alternately by woods and
fields. The town’s houses are nestled together
around the Bell Tower of Notre-Dame Church.
Over the centuries, the town has grown harmoniously,
the old centre still retaining its myriad
dark red, flat tiled roofs. The town is circled by
a shady esplanade which follows the traces of
former mediaeval walls that protected the ancient
city. Town houses dating back to the 17th
and 18th century only add to the charm.
Numerous sites of archaeological interest in
the surrounding hillsides and valleys show that
the area was inhabited as early as the Paleolithic
period. People came from far and wide, to
buy and repair their flint tools. The first farmers
of the Neolithic period, followed by the Gallo-
Romans established their farms in the Valley
without creating a settlement as such.
It was in 1163 that King Louis VII founded
the town on the East bank of the River Yonne.
He did so in order to extend his royal domain
and strategically strengthen his position against
any possible attack from the Champagne area,
which was then virtually an independent state.
The establishment of this new town was also
part of the great development of the French
regions during the 12th century. Within fifty
years, Villeneuve saw its population, benefiting
from a very advantageous juridical statute «the
Law of Lorris», soar and its boundaries expand
beyond its 2 km long defensive walls with glacis,
broad moat and towered walls opened by
five monumental gates. Two of the original
gates still survive to this day.
During the l3th century, Villeneuve, now
officially one of the strongholds of the French
monarchy welcomed King Philippe Auguste. In
1204, he held his parliament here. Saint Louis
also visited the town on several occasions.
Villeneuve-Le-Roi, as the town was then
known, was to keep its name until 1792. The
name changed during the French Revolution,
was restored during the Restoration period,
and once again during July Monarchy.

The town remained the seat of a Royal bailiwick
of some thirty parishes until the French
Revolution.
Between 1421 and 1430, during the Hundred
Years War, Villeneuve was occupied by
the Anglo-Burgundian faction.
Despite being besieged several times during
the religious wars of the Protestant Reformation,
the town remained faithful to the
«Ligue» against Henri IV and in April 1594
was finally overwhelmed and burnt to the
ground.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the
prosperity of Villeneuve was due to its location
on the river, as well as its surrounding forests
and vineyards. Its harbour was used for
storing wood and coal to supply Paris. Wine
and leather trading were an additional source
of wealth for the town. As a result, rich traders
built elegant houses in the town centre
between the “rues basses” and the «rues
hautes».
As well as rural depopulation, the economy
of the town suffered badly when an attack of
Phylloxera destroyed its vineyards.
Nowadays, Villeneuve-sur-Yonne has approximately
5400 inhabitants (a number only
exceeded back in 1842). Since W.W.II, the
creation of an industrial estate situated on the
left bank of the River Yonne has brought 800
new jobs and opportunities for local business.
A variety of cultural and sports associations
make a positive contribution to the life of this
attractive town.
Louis VII
Villeneuvesur-Yonne,
On a map

Villeneuve-sur-Yonne
The doors of Burgundy
Sens Gate
This North gate is almost identical to Joigny Gate at the South of Villeneuve. Not many alterations
were made to it during the Renaissance period. Its portcullis has recently been restored,
together with the remains of its immediately adjoining walls. The entire archaeological and
historical collections of the Museum of Villeneuve will progressively be housed within its
walls.
Villeneuve’s Town Hall, next to Sens Gate, was formerly a private home dating from the 18th
century. It was built on the vestiges of the town’s ramparts by a rich Army contractor. Outside,
you can take a walk through its shady park which leads down to the banks of Yonne River.
There you will also see the ruins of “Rousson Tower”, one of seven original cylindrical defense
towers along the walls. You may also enjoy a stroll along the former moat, now arranged in
gardens with a running stream and the consolidated ruins of another tower set in the surrounding
walls.

Joigny Gate
On the South gate of the ancient fortress, a small four towered square gate house was built.
Its plan probably dates from the late 13th century. Its many windows and slate roofs, topped
by gilded lead spikes were added in the 16th century. Parts of the exhibits of the Museum of
Villeneuve are now housed here.
On the second floor, you can visit the «Knights’ Room», where temporary exhibitions are
held. The room offers a view overlooking Villeneuve, its old roofs and monuments. Next to
Joigny Gate, at number 2 rue Carnot, you can visit the Museum Art Galleries, including paintings
and sculptures from the l9th and the 2Oth centuries.
Public wash house

Church
Notre Dame
de l’Assomption
Organ of Notre Dame
The organ of Notre Dame was
built in 1737 by Marcellin Tribuot.
Although the organ was classified
as a historic monument in 1973,
it was non-functional at that time.
In 1995 Gaston Kern restored it to
its original state. The organ has 30
stops, 18 of which have their original
pipes, 3 manuals of 54 keys and
28 pedal notes. The stops, whose
names are conducive to reverie,
fill the Church of Our Lady with a
flawless harmonic richness.
You will see behind the three portals of an
unfinished Renaissance facade designed by
Jean Chereau, one of the most magnificent gothic
buildings of the Yonne area. Notre-Dame
de l’Assomption was built in the first half of the
l3th century and completed with added chapels
during the 14th and l5th centuries. Inside
Notre-Dame Church (daily access through
the entrance on rue Pierret). The nave, a fine
example of ogival design, has no transept and
is 213 ft long, 3O ft wide and 66 ft high. The
side chapels were built over the course of three
centuries (13th to 16th centuries). Great care
and attention were given to the construction
as every architect respectfully followed the original
style created by the first master builders.
Visitors will be charmed by the various ornamental
elements bearing witness to different
periods of French history. In the right aisle of
the church, you will see a 16th century stainedglass
window featuring episodes of the Virgin
Mary’s life, and also a «Virgin Mary holding a
Bird» dating from the 14th century. The Chapel
of Saint Nicholas, patron saint of bargemen
has a stained-glass window dating from the l6th
century and mural paintings from the I7th century
telling the story of the saintly bishop’s life.
In the centre of the chancel, there is a splendid
16th century stained-glass window of the “Tree
of Jesse”. The church also has a noteworthy l4th
century statue of the Ecce Homo and a realistic
l4th century wooden Christ.
stained glass

Bonneville Tower
The 13th Century Tower
This massive 7O ft stone tower was
the keep of the former royal castle.
Sometimes mistakenly called
«Tower of Louis the Fat» after Louis
VI (1081 – 1137), it actually dates
back to the very beginning of the
l3th century and was built for King
Philippe Auguste.
It stands high on a truncated glacis,
l2 ft thick walls opened sparingly
here and there, its immense ranged
multi-coloured stone blocks adding
to the tower’s medieval charm. You
can still make out the brace marks
for the scaffolding used during its
construction.
Thanks to two drawbridges, this
impregnable keep once opened
both inside, as well as outside the
surrounding walls. Its inner ogival
vaults collapsed at the end of the
18th century.
The Towers
of Villeneuve-sur-Yonne
Ivy Tower
Rousson Tower

Cultural Center
Jean Pierre PINCEMIN
3 rue Bertrand - Tél : 03 86 87 27 88
Mardi et samedi de 14h à 18h15
Mercredi et vendredi de 9h à 12h et de 14h à 17h
The library
Jorge SEMPRÙN
In 2004 the city dedicated the public library to Mr. Jorge
Semprun. This centre of culture and education has an
important place in the lives of Villeneuvians.
By naming its library after Semprun, the municipality
wanted to pay tribute to this Spanish writer and
politician, born 10 December 1923 in Madrid. In 1942
in France, Semprun was assigned to the Francs-Tireurs et Partisans (FTP), the Communist armed
Resistance. Arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 between Villeneuve-sur-Yonne and Joigny, his false
papers showed his name as Gerard Sorel, gardener in Villeneuve-sur-Yonne. Deported to the
Buchenwald concentration camp, he returned to Paris in 1945. From 1953 to 1962, during the era
of Francisco Franco, Semprún lived clandestinely in Spain working as an organizer for the exiled
Communist Party of Spain, but was expelled from the party in 1964. After the death of Franco and
change to a democratic government, he became a writer and screenwriter for two successive films
by the Greek director Costa-Gavras, Z (1969) and The Confession (1970), which dealt with the
theme of persecution by governments. For his work on Z, Semprun won an Oscar. Semprun served
as Culture Minister of Spain from 1988 to 1991. In 1996, he became the first non-French author
elected to the Académie Goncourt, which awards an annual literary prize.
A small Napoleon III style
theater was added during the
1880s to the second floor of
the old town hall, itself built
in1837 on the site of the
former royal bailiwick. The
Town Hall was transferred in
1978 to 99 rue Carnot. The
cultural center plays a central
role in local community
life.
In 2006 the building was
officially named after Jean
Pierre Pincemin in honor of
the theorist and practitioner
of the «Supports-surfaces”
movement. You will find a
fresco by Pincemin adorning
the theater’s ceiling.
Progressively restored and
renovated, the Cultural Center
Jean Pierre Pincemin is
being transformed into a
series of spaces devoted to
theater, film, photography
and other Villeneuve cultural
events. It now houses the
Tourist Office, as well as the
town’s entertainment and
cultural services.

Villeneuve-sur-Yonne...
...in the past

The museum
Open in July and August
Wednesday through Sunday – 2:30 pm to 6:30 pm
Open year round for groups, on request.
Museum of Fine Arts
2, rue Carnot
Whether Villeneuvians by birth or adoption,
the artists whose works you will find here will
take you into the world of painting sculpture
and printmaking.
Departmental Police Museum
Joigny Gate
Peynot Berthold Mahn
Historical Museum
The history of Villeneuve-sur-
Yonne comes to life through the
sculptures, prints, maps, and other
objects in this extensive collection.
Balké
Discover the world of the French territorial police through a fine collection of
uniforms, medals, insignia and related objects, from its organization into brigades
in 1720 to today.
Joigny GAte

Photography Museum
Discover the history of photography through
the cameras, photographs, documents, assembled
in this museum.
Sens Gate
Houses temporary art exhibits all summer long.
2, rue Carnot

The charm of our esplanade
The old fortifications of the city have
made way to a pretty, tree lined esplanade
where, in their day, Joubert and
Chateaubriand loved to linger while
awaiting inspiration for their writings.
Outdoors Leisure Centre
In the pond area along the Yonne, North of the town wharf, the
outdoor leisure centre offers summer tourists numerous activities
like mini-golf, quadcycle pedal cars, pedal boats, and pop/rock co
ncerts.
06 81 22 01 59

Villeneuve-sur-Yonne
canal basin wharf
Saint Nicolas Bridge, an essential trade link, its construction
began in the XII century. 210 meters long, it now comprises 10
arches and supports a statue of Saint Nicolas, patron of bargemen.
It has withstood numerous modifications over the centuries,
as has the Ile d’Amour which it spans. On the island of
love you will discover the vestiges of an ancient defense tower,
La Tour Barbe.
marina: 03 86 87 10 04

Villeneuvesur-Yonne
Festivities
March: Carnival, Economic actors and jobs
forum
April: Easter Egg Hunt, Gates of Villeneuve Walking
Tour
May: Organic Green Market, Europe Day, Amateur
adult foot ball match: Town Hall vs. Notre
Dame Church
June: Science Fair, Music Festival, Organ Festival,
Amateur photographers’ circuit
July: Regatta and Boating Party, Bastille Day
Parade and pot luck supper
August: Patronal Feast festivities, Fireworks and
Fun Fair, The Medieval Fair
September: Festival of Early Childhood
December: Gastronomic and Christmas Markets
June-September: Pot luck suppers with live music
and dancing in our hamlets
All year: theater, cinema, concerts, exhibitions
Year Round Activities
Sailing Club, canoeing, hiking biking, and horseback
riding
At the Tourist Office
Bike rentals, Villeneuve tour guide sales (2€) Guided
tours of the town in July and August.

Restaurants and cafés
La Lucarne aux Chouettes
gastronomic restaurant, wine bar and
tearoom
7 Quai Bretoche - Tel: 03.86.87.18.26
Le Bouche à Oreille
traditional French
12 Faubourg St Laurent -
Tel: 03 86 87 33 46
Bar Restaurant de la Halle
traditional French
27 rue du Commerce - Tel: 03 86 87 10 51
Bar le Parisien
pub lunch
32 rue Carnot - Tel: 03 86 87 14 55
Le Bistrot
restaurant-pizzeria-grill
4 rue Joubert - Tel: 03 86 87 20 83
Accomodations
Hotels
La Lucarne aux Chouettes
7 Quai Bretoche-Tel: 03.86.87.18.26
Auberge La Porte de Joigny
8 rue du General de Gaulle Tel:
03.86.96.51.52
Closed Sunday evening and Tuesday
evening
Catering
Ms. Joëlle BELBENOIT
7 Faubourg Sommier
Tel: 09.71.59.49.24
Bed and Breakfast
Le Moulin de Cochepie
Dixmont Road - Tel: 06.29.70.48.39
The 3 Roses - Mr. and Mrs. Daniel
21 rue Thénard the High Thorn-Tel:
03.86.87.30.34
Camping
The Saucil
Saucil Street - Tel: 03.86.87.00.69
Corvered Market
Tuesday and Friday
Mornings
8:30 am to 12:30 pm
La Creperie des Arts
French pancakes, local and Breton ciders
17 rue Joubert - Tel: 03.86.83.27.33
La Palmeraie
Moroccan specialties
Rue du General de Gaulle - Tel: 03.86.87.30.43
A palais d’Or
Chinese specialties
28 Place de la Gare - Tel: 03.86.87.14.23
Restaurant de la Porte de Joigny
traditional French
8 rue du General de Gaulle - Tel:
03.86.96.51.52
Pizza Notre Dame
15 Place de la République - Tel: 03.86.87.03.65
Restaurant Istanbul
Turkish specialties
4 rue du Grand Four-Tel: 03.86.87.11.91
Bed & Breakfast in the Village of Bordes
(5km)
Brigitte Soret
39 rue de Villeneuve sur Yonne
Les Bordes 89500 - Tel: 03 86 96 06 42
Ms. Marine Daho
Les Fourneaux No. 11
Les Bordes 89500 - Tel: 03 86 96 08 07
Bed & Breakfast in the Village of Chaumot
(8km)
Les roses Trémières
16 rue du Colonel Saiffert -La Guetterie
Chaumot 89500 - Tel: 03 86 88 68 92
Self-catering holiday cottages :
Domaine de la Bizotière
11, chemin Antoine Gibassier
Chaumot 89500 - Tel: 03 86 96 95 80
Mr Corbel Bertrand
« les Lagneaux »
7 rue Blaise Gravel- Chaumot-89500
Tel: 03 86 72 92 15
Bed & Breakfast in Etigny (8km)
19 rue d’Autun - 89510 Etigny
Tel: 03.86.97.12.72
Yonne Valley Holiday Village
1 rue de l’Orme - 89500 Armeau
Tel: 03 86 87 30 19

Tourist Information
25, Rue Carnot
89500. Villeneuve-sur-Yonne
Tel: +33(0)3.86.87.12.52
Fax: +33(0)3.86.87.07.08
tourisme@villeneuve-yonne.fr
Hours
September to June
Tuesday through Wednesday
9h-12h30, 14h-18h
Saturday - 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
July and August
Tuesday to Saturday
10h-12h30, 14h-18h
Closed Sunday and Monday
Flash the code with
your mobile phone
Twinning
Braubach AM RHEIN
Germany
http://www.braubach.de/
Collingham
England
Horni Briza
Czech Republic
http://www.hornibriza.eu/
Klenovec
Slovakia
http://www.klenovec.sk/
Directeur de la publication : Cyril Boulleaux - Rédacteur en Chef:
Nadège Naze - Office du tourisme de Villeneuve-sur-Yonne - 25,
rue Carnot -89500 Villeneuve-sur-Yonne
Tel : 03 86 87 12 52 - tourisme@villeneuve-yonne.fr
photos Mairie de Villeneuve sur Yonne- Jean-Claude Salvinien
Imprimé par nos soin - ne pas jeter sur la voie publique.
Please don’t litter.
www.villeneuve-yonne-tourisme.com