Bois-d'Arcy, commune in Yvelines, France
Bois-d'Arcy is a small town in the Yvelines department sitting on a plateau overlooking the Versailles plains. Quiet streets feature brick and stone houses, green spaces, and parks, with protected forests on the northern and western edges.
The area was a forested region from the Middle Ages onward, known as Sylvaim de Arsitio in the 1100s. In the 1600s, King Louis XIV purchased land here and created a large pond to supply water to the Palace of Versailles.
The name comes from Latin and French roots meaning "woods of the burnt forest", hinting at ancient land clearing practices. Today this heritage lives on in the protected forested areas where locals walk and connect with nature.
The town is easily accessible with a train station providing regular service to Paris and buses running through the streets. Protected forest areas in the north and west offer walking and biking routes, while the Rigole des Clayes provides a scenic path through the area.
In the early 1900s, Brazilian aviation pioneer Alberto Santos-Dumont set up a workshop on a farm called Sainte-Marie to conduct flying experiments. This surprising connection links the town to the early days of flight.
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