Bordered on one side by the Saint Germain-en-Laye national forest, covering an area of 3500 hectares (about 8649 acres), and on the other by the banks of the river Seine and the Pont Ancien (Old Bridge), Poissy’s historical past is reflected in its Collegiate Church of Notre Dame (Our Lady) which witnessed the birth of Louis IX (the future Saint Louis), its Toy Museum situated in a 14th century fortified building, in the centre of the Abbey enclosure, which has retained all the charm of the streets as they appeared in the past. The town also provides an opportunity for some original sightseeing with a tour of the Noyau de Poissy Liqueur Distillery, situated in the town centre.

This stroll through the ages can be extended to the Villa Savoye, designed and built by the architect Le Corbusier between 1928 and 1931 and to the Town Hall(1937). Poissy was significantly influenced by French royal history and also played a major, economic role in local and regional life for centuries, through its cattle market in particular. Today, the town is the site of the PSA Peugeot Citroën Group which manufactures around 1,500 vehicles daily, with facilities covering an area of over 180 hectares (about 445 acres). With the establishment on the site of the perfumer, Rochas, of Environnement SA (environmental monitoring) and the Ariès Group, there has been a diversification in business activity compared to the post-war period when only the automotive industry was present. In keeping with this trend, since 1990, the Town has encouraged the development of the Technoparc, an urban business park, created from the redevelopment of a former quarry. It is intended to provide the town with a real centre for economic growth in a business district that is able to meet the challenges of our era and produce wealth and employment. Poissy has always been a trading town. The sovereigns, Agnes of Merania from Bavaria and Blanche of Castile, drovers and industrialists, and artists – from Ossip Zadkine who created the bas-relief on the town hall to Ivan Theimer, whose sculptures can be found in the Place de la République – came from all walks of life to the birthplace of Saint Louis to relax, work or create. To carry on this tradition of hospitality and community spirit, Messrs Jakob Schunk and Léon Touhladjian, the mayors of Pirmasens (Rhineland-Palatinate) and of Poissy, pronounced the solemn twinning oath uniting the two towns on 25 September 1965. For over 45 years, these bonds of friendship have been strengthened and, as meetings come and go, both the Germans and the French discover synergies for promoting the development of both towns.