Abandoned town left to rot for 40 years after plane crash horror
Goussainville-Vieux Pays is now a largely empty village where plant life is taking over and almost everybody has left, following a major plane crash around 50 years ago
An idyllic village which was once an archetype of French pastoral life now lies abandoned and empty.
In the blink of an eye, Goussainville-Vieux Pays switched from being a hive of activity, filled with weekend markets where bustling crowds of locals gathered to buy farm produce, to the shell of a place it is today.
The churchbells have stopped ringing and the visitors no longer come.
Goussainville-Vieux Pays' problems began back in the mid-1960s when plans were drawn up for a new airport to serve Paris. As the village lies just 12 miles away from the city, surrounded by green open space, it was judged to be perfect.
In the months before the travel hub was due to open to the world, tragedy struck in the form of a Soviet supersonic aircraft named Tupolev TU-144. It crashed down into Goussainville-Vieux Pays during the Paris Air Show of 1973.
The high-tech aircraft hurtled into the ground, smashing into a row of 15 houses and a school, killing six crew members and eight people on the ground.
Many decided to up sticks and leave there and then, too affected by the tragedy to continue living in a community that had been hit so hard.
They joined others who had already left, having taken up offers from the airport's developers to sell their homes at generous rates.
By the mid 70s just 300 of the 1,000 villagers who had lived there remained. Many of those who did would soon be pushed out of the village by the opening of the Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The airport was always intended to be among Europe's busiest, but the villagers were not prepared for its impact on them.
Overnight Goussainville-Vieux Pays went from a peaceful village to one blighted by noise pollution. Every day the roar of jet engines bounced around the village square, cutting through the peace and quiet that was ruled.
The village is so close to Charles de Gaulle Airport that it is considered part of the runway approach. Low-flying planes with their landing gears extended rocketed over the homes.
Within a year of the airport's opening almost all of the remaining residents had left. Many didn't stick around to sell their homes, desperate to get out as quickly as they could and skepticle of their ability to find a buyer.
As a result, the village fell into disrepair. Overgrown gardens, broken windows and deserted squares became common sights.
Today Goussainville-Vieux Pays has an overgrown, abandoned feel to it, yet a few locals remain.
"Its abandoned structures are slowly being reclaimed by nature, creating an eerie yet oddly beautiful landscape. The 12th-century Church of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul stands as a silent sentinel, its bell tower reaching towards the sky where planes now dominate," France Rent writes.
"Despite its abandonment, efforts are being made to preserve this unique piece of history. The old village is occasionally opened for guided tours, allowing visitors to step back in time and imagine life before the airport's arrival. The crumbling facades and overgrown gardens tell a poignant story of a community disrupted by the demands of modern infrastructure."
While the old town is slowly being pulled back into the land, another, more modern part of Goussainville-Vieux Pays is thriving.
This part of the town has embraced its proximity to the airport, with many residents finding employment in aviation-related industries. It vibrant and diverse place that has found a way to live alongside the airport.
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