Coulommes Flea Market

A May 1st Flea Market in the Heart of the Village

Every May 1st, the small commune of Coulommes organizes its annual flea market on the church square. This central location, in the historic heart of the village, offers a particularly charming setting for this event that brings together individuals, dealers and exhibitors from the surrounding communes. May 1st, a public holiday, is traditionally one of the most popular dates for flea markets in France.

Coulommes, a Village with Medieval Origins

Coulommes is a pretty little village located in the north of Seine-et-Marne, in the Île-de-France region. Its area covers 3.7 km² and its population is around 430 inhabitants. The village is mentioned as early as 1156 in a charter signed by Henry the Liberal, Count of Champagne and Brie, which attests to its existence for nearly nine centuries. The Templars owned property there until the 14th century, and a leper colony operated there until the 15th century.

A Forgotten Wine Past

Under the Old Regime, Coulommes was a village of winegrowers. The Brie region, today known for its cheeses, once produced wines that supplied Parisian tables. In 1836, there were still 16 winegrowers in Coulommes for only 435 inhabitants. Unfortunately, the phylloxera that ravaged the French vineyards between 1873 and 1880 wiped out the Brie vines.

An Unsuspected Oil Deposit

Coulommes has a little-known peculiarity: an oil deposit was discovered there in 1958, in the Coulommes-Vaucourtois geological dome, at a depth of 1,870 meters. This geological curiosity, in a village that remained essentially agricultural, adds a touch of originality to its identity.

A Friendly Event in the Heart of Brie

The Coulommes Flea Market has all the qualities of a successful village flea market: proximity, conviviality, authenticity, pleasant setting around the village church.