RAYNE   Twinning   Association

Verberie is a delightfully traditional French town situated within the valley of the Automne River, a tributary of the River Oise which also borders the town, located 58km. north of Paris, 13km from Compiegne, 15km from Crepy-en-Valois and 17km from Senlis.

Easily accessible from Calais (230km.) via the A26/A1 autoroutes, the town is just 10 minutes' drive from Junction 9 off the A1.

To the west of Verberie is the 1526m viaduct for the TGV/Eurostar route (the 2nd longest railway viaduct in Europe) which crosses the River Oise on exiting the rail tunnel in the woods above Verberie.

In the town centre there is a wide range of shops and business enterprises where Monsieur Patrick Floury, a strong supporter of Twinning acitivities, has been mayor of Verberie since 1995.  On the outskirts of the town there are a number of industrial enterprises.

Verberie has a school with approximately 400 pupils and a college for the older children.  Leisure club activities in the town include tennis, archery, petanque, cycling, karate, basket ball, art and culture, music, badminton and riding.

There are several restaurants and 2 hotels in the town.

Interesting buildings in Verberie include the Chateau d'Aramont which was rebuilt in the 19th century on the site of Charlemagne's palace, the church of St Pierre - originally built as the chapel for Charlemagne's palace and partially rebuilt in the 16th century - and Le Petit Coppy or Hotel St. Jacques which was the home of Pierre Coquerel, secretary to Philippe of Valois.

Famous people born in Verberie were Pierre Oriol, philosopher, in the 13th century and Juliette Adam, authoress, born in 1836.

Sheila Steer