Crécy-la-Chapelle, “Venice of Brie”

This village, known as the Venice of the Brie (Venise de la Brie), has retained its own character, based on a distinctively structured street plan inherited from the Middle Ages.The main streets follow the curves of the brassets, or defensive ditches fortified by walls and towers, of which many vestiges remain. There are several suggestions for walks, such as the new "Valley of the Painters of the Grand Morin" trail on which the visitor discovers the landscapes which have been shaped by water and inspired many artists such as Corot, Toulouse-Lautrec and Servin. The tanners’ houses are dotted alongside the canals and there is a splendid parish church. The hamlet of La Chapelle has kept its Collegiate church of Notre Dame de l’Assomption, built around 1250 in the lower reaches of the valley. It is reinforced by particularly well-developed flying buttresses. Its tower with its double saddleback roof is typical of the Brie region. Fragments of bas-relief have been found in the nave and have been placed in the spandrel above the main entrance. Three levels of windows in exceptionally unadorned gothic style illuminate the church’s interior. The nave is twelfth century while the side aisles towards the façade date from the fifteenth century.

The Moulin Jaune is a laboratory of creation, in continuous evolution and eternally unfinished.Garden-Theatre The garden of the Moulin Jaune, recognised as an ""Outstanding garden"" by the Ministry of Culture in December 2014, is a park made up of several gardens which are the scenes of artistic work. Each with its dominant colour, its little scenic spaces and its cabin to work, escape, sleep or play... Constantly evolving, the garden is being constructed progressively, with spaces in planning, some in transformation, others finally in a temporary balance. Several landscape artists, gardeners and teams, including integration programmes and volunteer gardeners, work there throughout the year, distributed depending on the projects. Maison-Théâtre In 2001, Slava Polunin moved to the banks of the Grand Morin. The building, modified many times over the centuries, had been uninhabited for over 20 years. Without betraying its history, he made it a place of work and living. Each room has its own atmosphere, a product of travels, childhood memories and the imagination of Slava and all those he invited there. Safety reasons prevent him from opening the doors of his Mill as often as he would like to. In 2014, the farmhouse was renovated. The building was crowned with a work of art made from chestnut oat planks. There are rooms for the artists, artisans and temporary or residential associates.