{"id":129,"date":"2020-04-16T14:19:36","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T12:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/destination.parc-oise-paysdefrance.fr\/uk\/etangs-de-comelles\/"},"modified":"2020-12-15T10:04:28","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T09:04:28","slug":"comelles-lakes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/destination.parc-oise-paysdefrance.fr\/en\/walking-cycling-riding\/nature-trails\/comelles-lakes\/","title":{"rendered":"Comelles Lakes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In the heart of the Chantilly forest, the Etangs de Comelles attract walkers <\/strong>of all ages. These ponds stretch over more than 40 hectares, following the course of the Th\u00e8ve river. Footpaths shaded by trees, some of which are over 100 years old, encircle the four ponds, which are overlooked by the beautiful Ch\u00e2teau de la Reine Blanche. A captivating place <\/strong>that will provide you with some idyllic moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Constructed and managed by monks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The four \u2018\u00e9tangs\u2019<\/strong> de Comelles were created during the 13th century by the monks of the Abbaye de Chaalis<\/a> to be used as fish ponds<\/strong>. They were constructed on the course of the Th\u00e8ve at the valley\u2019s narrowest point, in the heart of the Chantilly forest<\/strong>. The water, which supplies several mills, is channelled through bungs, valves and pipes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contested ponds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For a long time, these lakes and the forests that surround them were the subject of disputes and legal proceedings between the monks and the various landowners over who had the right to cut wood, graze animals and hunt here.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A monk known as \u2018the Englishman\u2019 working for the Abbaye de Chaalis was even killed during one such altercation in 1430.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The worst moment took place in 1793, when the villagers, driven by famine, plundered the last mill<\/strong> and emptied the lakes to retrieve the fish.

It was not until the 19th century that the princes of Cond\u00e9<\/strong> managed to restore order by buying back all the land to complete the Chantilly estate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Romantic lakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n