Barbizon, Rural commune in Seine-et-Marne, France.
Barbizon is a village near Fontainebleau Forest featuring traditional stone houses scattered along narrow streets. The buildings sit at a modest elevation and maintain the simple rural character of a working community from earlier times.
The settlement began as an agricultural village but became an art center when painters discovered its forests and countryside in the 1820s. Artists continued to move here and make it an important place for artistic development throughout the 1800s.
The village became the center of the Barbizon School, a movement where painters focused on depicting nature directly from the landscape. You can still see the studios and houses where these artists lived and worked during the 19th century.
You can reach the village by train from Paris to Fontainebleau-Avon station, then continue by local bus or on foot. Walking is the best way to explore since the village is small and most points of interest are close to each other.
The former Auberge Ganne was a gathering place where artists met and shared ideas during the 1800s. The building now operates as a museum showing paintings and furniture from that creative period.
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