Houdan

Houdan is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.

Geography

Houdan is 63 kilometres (39 mi) west of Paris in the Yvelines département. It is linked by SNCF Alençon and Paris (Gare Montparnasse).

History

The name has evolved from the Saxon "Hoding," meaning "settlement on the hill". Houdan is thought to have been inhabited since the 5th century. By the 12th century, two churches and a chateau were present.

During the Hundred Years' War, the town changed hands and was pillaged frequently. The town was destroyed; only the 12th century keep survives from that period. After the war, the town was ruled by the English until 1475.

Houdan is mentioned in the Prophecies of Nostradamus.

Houdan was a staging post on the road from Paris to Brittany, and many old inns are still standing.

Houdan was also an important poultry market for Paris and a breed is named after the town. The breed is ornamental, but is also used for its meat and white eggs.

Attractions

Houdan chicken

The Houdan or Poule de Houdan is an old French breed of domestic chicken. It is named for its area of origin, the commune of Houdan, in the département of Yvelines to the west of Paris. The Houdan has an unusual butterfly-shaped comb, and is one of few breeds to have five toes rather than the usual four.

History

The origins of the Houdan breed are unknown; as they predate modern agricultural writing, little can be said with certainty. The breed was described in detail in 1858. The Houdan combines a number of distinctive features, which in the nineteenth century gave rise to speculation about the breeds that might have contributed to its development. The Crèvecœur or perhaps the Polish was suspected to have given the Houdan its crest, and either the Dorking or the native five-toed fowl of France was thought have to resulted in the Houdan's five toes (most chickens have only four).

It was first imported into England in 1850, and to North America in 1865, where it appeared in the first edition of the American Standard of Perfection in 1874.