An island of legend, from art to the air industry.

The legend of Ile de la Jatte has been nourished by history, art and industry.

Its first suitors had royal origins. After the fall of the Empire, Louis XVIII ceded to Louis-Philippe, the future King of France, his castle in Neuilly, as well as its park which stretched as far as the Island. The new king discovered the island during his many walks and decided to connect it to his park by means of a footbridge. There, he built the Temple of Love, which shelters Venus, and it became the venue for sumptuous Venetian parties and fireworks displays.
The Island had entered the history books and its golden age was on the horizon.

Napoleon III and Haussmann started to build on the site. At the time, there were only a few hundred inhabitants, but, above all, there were many workshops which were open only at night time. It was a popular and rustic time. City dwellers used to come here to relax. Games, snack bars and dances at the Château du Diable, the Petit Bonheur or the Moulin-Rouge used to mark the end of the working week. This was the site of the story of Amélie Hélie, played by Simone Signoret in the film "Casque d'Or". It was inevitable that there would be some trouble and the "apaches" - the name given to the gangsters of the time - and women of little virtue, used to rub shoulders with the crowds here.

The ease of access also attracted many Impressionists, who painted some of the island's enchanting features in works such as "L'Ile de la Grande-Jatte" (1874) and "Les Rives de la Seine" (1878) by Claude Monet,
Claude Monet: http://www.lagalerie.fr/PagesArtistes/MONE_P0003.htm

"La Seine avec le pont de la Grande-Jatte" (1887) by Vincent Van Gogh,
Van Gogh: http://www.insecula.com/oeuvre/O0021432.html

And "L'Ile de la Grande-Jatte" (1873) by Alfred Sisley.
Alfred Sisley: http://www.insecula.com/oeuvre/O0013671.html

It became the centre of neo-Impressionism (or pointillism) much criticised by Georges Seurat.
Georges Seurat, Un dimanche après-midi à l'Île de la Grande Jatte, exhibited for the first time in May 1886 (painting acquired by the Art Insitute of Chicago in 1924).
http://wahooart.com/A55A04/w.nsf/Opra/BRUE-6E3T9M?OpenDocument&ChangeLangue=FR

Thanks to this artist, Ile de la Grande Jatte became known outside of France with "Un dimanche après midi d'été à la Grande Jatte" exhibited in the Art Institute of Chicago.
La Grande-Jatte was also the centre of an unexpected industrial boom. Here, some of the major creations of modern industry saw the light of day.
René Couzinet's plane (L'Arc-en-Ciel) allowed Jean Mermoz to make the first crossing of the south Atlantic. The factories here were requisitioned during the World Wars and the Allies made full benefit of the decisive technological developments which had been made here, in particular, in the field of aviation.

With four thousand inhabitants, today, La Jatte is a residential district. A new way of life has become cultivated and is favoured by well thought out town planning, based on harmonious construction. The Island is the site for many company head offices (Paco Rabanne, Yves Saint-Laurent Parfum, Saatchi-Saatchi…) and restaurants (Le Petit Poucet, Les Pieds dans l'eau, La Guinguette, Le Café de la Jatte…). The Levallois House of Fishing and Nature can also be found there. La Jatte is also a promised land from which flows the particularly delicious honey from the hives of Levallois.