Saint-Leu-La-Forêt
From 1852 to 1870, Saint-Leu-la-Forêt was called Napoleon-Saint-Leu-Taverny. This shows how strong was the souvenir of Napoleon in this beautiful Val d’Oise’s city.The origin of this tendency (acquired in 1804 by Louis Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon 1st) lies in the two castles of Saint-Leu : the top one, built in 1645 on the site of the feudal castle of Montmorency and the bottom one, built in 1693 on the stronghold of Ort.
Louis Bonaparte only kept the bottom one, as his wife, the Queen Hortense (Josephine Empress’ daughter) was wishing to take full advantage of the estate and its gardens