Fête Nationale de Montmorency

Montmorency, town of Enlightenment and forests

Montmorency (95160) is one of the most historically rich towns in the Val-d'Oise. A sub-prefecture of the department, it has about 21,000 inhabitants and extends over the hills overlooking the state forest of Montmorency, the largest deciduous forest in Île-de-France with its 2,500 hectares. The town owes much of its fame to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who stayed there from 1756 to 1762 and wrote some of his most important works there: The Social Contract, Emile, or On Education, and Julie, or the New Heloise.

Montmorency is also known for its Jean-Jacques Rousseau Museum, housed in the house where the philosopher lived, and for its Saint-Martin Collegiate Church, a masterpiece of 16th-century Flamboyant Gothic art, which notably houses the tomb of the Montmorency family and exceptional Renaissance stained glass windows. The town has also been home to many personalities, including the painter Honoré Daumier and the writer Heinrich Heine.

July 14th in the town of Rousseau

The National Holiday of July 14th in Montmorency takes on a special dimension in this town linked to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one of the spiritual fathers of the French Revolution. The ideas of The Social Contract, published a few decades before 1789, profoundly influenced the revolutionaries who founded the Republic. Celebrating July 14th in Montmorency is therefore, in a way, celebrating the intellectual origins of French republican values.

This philosophical and historical dimension enriches Montmorency's republican celebration with a particular depth. The town is aware of this dimension: the Rousseau Museum and the Saint-Martin Collegiate Church are privileged points of visit for residents and tourists who wish to understand the history of Montmorency and its role in Enlightenment thought.

Fireworks over the forest

The July 14th fireworks in Montmorency benefit from an exceptional setting. Fired from the heights of the town or from the clearings overlooking the forest, the pyrotechnic show illuminates the tops of the chestnut and oak trees of the state forest. This unique spectacle, where the fires are reflected in the dark mass of the forest, creates a memorable image that the inhabitants of Montmorency particularly cherish.

The terraces and belvederes overlooking the forest offer exceptional viewpoints of the show. The inhabitants of Montmorency, accustomed to enjoying these panoramic views, know how to make the most of the exceptional setting their town offers them for the July 14th festivities.

Cultural and popular entertainment

The July 14th program in Montmorency mixes republican tradition and cultural dimension. Visits to the Rousseau Museum are sometimes organized during the day, allowing residents and visitors to discover the life and work of the philosopher in the house where he wrote his major works. The Saint-Martin Collegiate Church, with its Renaissance stained glass windows and remarkable statuary, can also be the subject of guided tours.

Popular balls and street entertainment complete the program, making July 14th in Montmorency a day that combines culture, history, and popular festivities in an exceptional natural and heritage setting.

The forest of Montmorency, a common good

The state forest of Montmorency is the common good of the inhabitants of the entire northern region of the Val-d'Oise. Managed by the National Forestry Office, it welcomes millions of walkers, cyclists, riders, and nature lovers every year. The National Holiday is an opportunity to also celebrate this shared natural heritage, by organizing guided walks or events on the edge of the forest that recall the importance of preserving this natural space for future generations.