LOCATION
residents of these big cities looking for a quieter, seaside holiday home in Le Touquet, with a view to retiring here later in life. “It’s a touristy town with everything from horse riding to windsurfi ng, the sea and the forest, but with a great family feel to it. It’s also very safe. Il fait bonne vivre!” she says, laughing. And she’s right – it really does seem like a great place to live.
COLOMBEY-LES-DEUX- ÉGLISES (de Gaulle) Tucked away in the peaceful Haute-Marne countryside is a small village with a very famous ex-
president. With a population of approximately 800 inhabitants, Colombey-les- Deux-Églises was the second home of General de Gaulle, the third-longest-serving president of the French Fifth Republic. Charles de Gaulle purchased ‘La Boisserie’ here in 1934 and visited often while serving his country, regularly spending weekends and holidays in the tranquil surrounding mix of forests and farmland. It is said that de Gaulle
was inspired by the peaceful setting to write his presidential speeches and even his memoirs here. After passing away in his library in 1970, he was buried in the village and his former home is now a listed building, with several rooms open to the public. You can take a tour of the living room, dining room and even the library – which looks onto de Gaulle’s former offi ce, then take a stroll around the vast park surrounding this stunning abode. Tourists fl ock to Colombey-
les-Deux-Églises to admire the nature, to visit La Boisserie and the Charles de Gaulle memorial, and to stand in awe of the Cross of Lorraine, an imposing 44m-high structure towering over the village – an enduring symbol of Free France from the Second World War. If you’re looking for a
peaceful department with small towns and friendly villages, where locals take their time meandering through the weekly markets, and elderly
“It is said that de Gaulle was inspired by the peaceful setting to write his memoirs here”
residents chat over a leisurely game of boules, then Haute- Marne is the perfect spot. The préfecture of the
department is Chaumont, less than 30 minutes from Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. Here, the rolling hills and lush valleys are framed by an enormous viaduct, 600m long, with 50 arches measuring up to 50m high each. This impressive architectural feat dates back to the 19th century and provides a spectacular view of the Suize valley, as well as illuminated displays to enchant. Chaumont itself is a lively
town with a population of just 23,000 people. While it used to be known predominantly for glove-making, the town is now famous for its International Poster and Graphic Design Festival, which attracts thousands of visitors each year. Tourists are not only charmed
by the rambling stone streets and old buildings, but by the amount of greenery. You never have to go far to appreciate nature here – it is everywhere. There are large parks in the town centre, such as Boulingrin and Agathe Roullot, and just a short drive from Chaumont, the Parc National des Forêts begins – a lush expanse of 560km2 hiking trails and small rivers,
of
which is home to rare birds, an abundance of wildlife and more than 50 million trees! The setting is rural and
peaceful, and an ideal location for a second home, but there are several large cities within a 200km radius of Colombey-les- Deux-Églises to get your city fi x, including Dijon at 130km and Nancy at 140km; Paris is also just 250km away. Carole Rebelo, an estate
agent with IAD (Chaumont), says that the abundance of beautiful wooded areas makes this sector so attractive, and she is now seeing the majority of buyers settle here in primary residences, not second homes. “Housing prices here are still
very aff ordable, and those who love stone houses and old buildings are delighted with the properties that they fi nd are for sale here,” she says. She adds that she sells a lot of places at less than €100,000 that need partly or fully renovating, and that buyers adore restoring the old stone houses with traditional materials in these small, idyllic villages of Haute-Marne. For those looking to avoid
any large DIY projects and purchase a house ready to move into, a three-bedroom house in Chaumont with a large garden will sell for around €200,000, and in the outlying villages you can purchase a traditional stone house with three bedrooms and a good- sized garden for between €100,000 and €160,000. There are defi nitely some fantastic bargains to pounce on in this wonderful department!
On the market: Colombey
The tomb of General de Gaulle in Colombey-les- Deux-Églises
€70,000: Huge potential for this partly restored four-plus- bedroom house with neat garden in Vignory– large family home, rental or B&B? (IAD France)
€69,000: Near Chaumont and Colombey-les-Deux-Eglises, this four-bed house in Rennepont needs work but has a cellar, garage and garden (IAD France)
FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: September/October 202345
© SHUTTERSTOCK
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148
