Le Vieux-Pays de Goussainville: an unusual stroll through a "ghost village" in the Île-de-France region

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Published by Caroline de Sortiraparis · Photos by Caroline de Sortiraparis · Published on April 12th, 2022 at 11:28 a.m.
If you're looking for an unusual outing in the Paris region, you've come to the Val-d'Oise. It's here, just a few kilometers from the end of the Roissy airport runways, that you'll find the Vieux-Pays de Goussainville. Visit this atypical old village, described as "ghostly", and virtually abandoned by many of its inhabitants for several decades.

It's a well-known site for lovers of Urbex (urban exploration) and other abandoned places. The Vieux-Pays de Goussainville is just a few blocks from the modern city center, but above all only 5km from the end of the runways ofRoissy airport, created in the early 70s. A location which is not without consequences... The intense noise pollution caused by Roissy's incessant aircraft flights has driven many of its residents and shopkeepers to flee and desert the area, which many refer to as Goussainville's " ghost village ".

A visit recommended by theGrand Roissy Tourist Office, we decided to venture in. And we were totally surprised when we disembarked in the Vieux-Pays de Goussainville. For this village is not totally abandoned, as some might imagine. There are still people who love this picturesque place. In fact, of the 1,000 inhabitants counted before the opening of Roissy airport, only around 300 decided to stay, despite the offer made by Aéroport de Paris to buy their homes. There's also a school on the main street. On the commercial side, a bookshop (closed when we passed through) seems to be holding out. There's also a bit of traffic, with curious and sometimes lost drivers.

Goussainville's Vieux-Pays has a very special atmosphere, with the strange sensation of discovering a village frozen in time. There are many walled buildings and other sites falling into ruin.

Le Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photosLe Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photosLe Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photosLe Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photos


" When an airport is built, there's a 1973 decree that obliges Aéroport de Paris to buy back the houses in the first noise zone and demolish them," Philippe Vieillard, president of the Vieux-Pays de Goussainville association, explained to BFMTV in 2019. Only there was a catch. The village church is a listed historic monument, preventing the demolition of anything within a 500-meter radius of it. " So there was only one solution left for the airport, and that was to wall up the houses," he adds in this interview. Since then, many of these walls have been taken over by visiting graffiti artists, and some houses have been squatted.

A few nuggets remain, however, such as'Au Paradis', which must have been the village's former bar. The church, a listed monument, also dominates the Goussainville Old Town.

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And then there's the famous 18th/19th century château, inhabited until 1983. Today, this chateau, set in a flower-filled park, is also falling into disrepair. And nature seems to be reclaiming its rights over this ancient building.

Le Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photosLe Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photosLe Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photosLe Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photos

Le Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photosLe Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photosLe Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photosLe Vieux Pays à Goussainville, nos photos


With the curious sensation of having experienced a plunge into a universe bordering on the real, this unusual stroll through the Old Country of Goussainville is well worth the detour, as much for its history as for its almost surreal atmosphere. So, are you ready to visit thisÎle-de-France"ghost village"?

Practical information

Location

6 Place Hyacinthe Drujon
95190 Goussainville

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