Fontenay-aux-Roses

Fontenay-aux-Roses
Commune
The Hôtel de Ville
Coat of arms
Location (in red) within Paris inner suburbs
Location of Fontenay-aux-Roses
Fontenay-aux-Roses Location within France Show map of France Fontenay-aux-Roses Location within Île-de-France (region) Show map of Île-de-France (region)
Coordinates: 48°47′22″N 2°17′20″E / 48.78932°N 2.28877°E / 48.78932; 2.28877
Country	France
Region	Île-de-France
Department	Hauts-de-Seine
Arrondissement	Antony
Canton	Châtillon
Intercommunality	Métropole du Grand Paris
Government
• Mayor (2026–32)	Pauline Le Fur
Area 1	2.51 km2 (0.97 sq mi)
Highest elevation	160 m (520 ft)
Lowest elevation	60 m (200 ft)
Population  (2023)	24,070
• Density	9,590/km2 (24,800/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	92032 /92260
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Fontenay-aux-Roses (French pronunciation: [fɔ̃tnɛ o ʁoz] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 8.6 km (5.3 mi) from the center of Paris.

In 1880, a higher education institution for women, the École normale supérieure de Fontenay-aux-Roses, was founded with the primary goal of preparing women to become teachers. It became a mixed school in 1986, and was relocated to Lyon in 2000.

Fontenay is the location of the Commissariat à l'énergie atomique, and former location of the first French nuclear reactor, Zoé, and the first French tokamak fusion experiment, TFR.

Name

The commune name originates from a local spring-fed stream (Latin fons, French fontaine) in the hillside descending from the Châtillon plateau, with "of roses" added to distinguish this commune from numerous French communes named Fontenay.

History

The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1860.

Climate

The climate of Fontenay-aux-Roses is oceanic gradient. The observation stations used for the weather in Fontenay are at Orly and the airport of Velizy-Villacoublay, municipalities located not far from Fontenay. The climate is characterised by sunshine and fairly low rainfall. The average rainfall is about 650 mm per year, spread over 111 rainy days on average, including 16 days of heavy rainfall (10 mm). Temperatures are mild; the coldest month is January with an average temperature of 4.7 °C and the hottest months are July and August with a mean temperature of 20 °C.

Severe weather conditions are sometimes recorded:

• Maximum Temperature : 42.0 °C in 2003;
• Minimum Temperature : -16.0 °C in 1985;
• Maximum rain in 24 hours: 100 mm from 6 p.m. on 30th to 6 p.m. on August 5, 1997;
• High temperature days (> 25 °C) : 59.3;
• Rain days: 120.

Transport

Fontenay-aux-Roses is served by Fontenay-aux-Roses station on Paris RER line B and Tram line 6 from Chatillon Montrouge metro to Viroflay. In addition, several bus lines 194, 294, 394, 390, 162, 195... cross the city to Paris and other suburban cities.

Population

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 942 —     1800 722 −3.73% 1806 877 +3.29% 1821 804 −0.58% 1831 1,021 +2.42% 1836 967 −1.08% 1841 1,092 +2.46% 1846 1,076 −0.29% 1851 1,176 +1.79% 1856 1,669 +7.25% 1861 2,157 +5.26% 1866 2,386 +2.04% 1872 2,362 −0.17% 1876 2,924 +5.48% 1881 2,849 −0.52% 1886 2,935 +0.60% 1891 2,652 −2.01% 1896 3,343 +4.74% 1901 3,402 +0.35%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1906 4,082 +3.71% 1911 4,463 +1.80% 1921 5,202 +1.54% 1926 5,943 +2.70% 1931 6,870 +2.94% 1936 7,197 +0.93% 1946 7,455 +0.35% 1954 8,626 +1.84% 1962 20,237 +11.25% 1968 23,355 +2.42% 1975 25,596 +1.32% 1982 23,915 −0.97% 1990 23,322 −0.31% 1999 23,537 +0.10% 2007 24,066 +0.28% 2012 22,866 −1.02% 2017 24,564 +1.44% 2023 24,070 −0.34%
Source: EHESS and INSEE (1968–2023)

Education

Primary schools in the commune:

• Six public preschools (maternelles): La Roue, Les Ormeaux, Les Pervenches, Les Renards, Jean Macé, Scarron
• Six public elementary schools: La Roue A, La Roue B, Le Parc, Les Ormeaux, Les Pervenches, Les Renards
• One private preschool and elementary school: Maternelle et Élémentaire St-Vincent de Paul

There is a public junior high school, Collège les Ormeaux.

Lycée professionnel privé Saint François d'Assise, a private vocational high school, is in the commune.

Neighboring places

• Bagneux
• Châtillon
• Clamart
• Le Plessis-Robinson
• Sceaux

Twin towns

• Borehamwood, United Kingdom since 1974
• Wiesloch, Germany since 1982

Links between Wiesloch and Fontenay-aux-Roses are very strong. Indeed, many school projects are organized each year.

Personalities

• Paul Scarron (1610–1660) – writer, lived in Fontenay-aux-Roses.
• Theresa Cabarrus (1773–1835) – Known as "Madame Tallien" whose residence has become the École Normale Supérieure de Fontenay-aux-Roses.
• Aristide Boucicaut (1810–1877) – Founder of the Bon Marché and benefactor of the town, has long lived in Fontenay where he owned a large residence (known as the "castle Boucicaut and razed in 1954) it was also a member of the municipal council and was even elected mayor in 1871. However, he refused the post, and preferred to remain an alderman.
• Joris-Karl Huysmans (1848–1907) – Worked in Fontenay in July 1881 on his novel À Rebours; it is the setting for the aesthetic experiments of the decadent aristocrat des Esseintes.
• Ferdinand Lot (1866–1952) – medieval historian, lived in Fontenay-aux-Roses for a long time; he is buried in the family tomb.
• Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) – Born in Fontenay at the corner of d'Estienne d'Orves Neyts and André, near the College des Ormeaux, painter.
• Paul Léautaud (1872–1956) – writer, lived in Fontenay (24, rue Guérard).
• Nikolai Semashko (1874–1949) – First People's Commissar for Health of the RSFSR and founder of the Soviet healthcare system lived in Fontenay (48, rue des Châtaigniers) before World War I.
• Thérèse Sclafert (1878–1959) – French alpine geographer and historian
• Jacques Déprats (1880–1935) – Born in Fontenay, geologist.
• Valery Larbaud (1881–1957) – writer, lived in Fontenay-aux-Roses.
• Mikhail Larionov (1881–1964) – Painter of the Russian avant-garde, died in Fontenay-aux-Roses.
• Alexandra Exter (1882–1949) – Artist of the Ukrainian & Russian avant-garde, died at Fontenay-aux-Roses.
• René Barthélemy (1889–1954) – French physicist, lived in Fontenay and is based on communal cemetery.
• René Letourneur (1898–1990) – Painter and sculptor, lived in Fontenay-aux-Roses.
• Boris Vildé (1908–1942) – Resistance fighter executed by the Germans, lived in Fontenay-aux-Roses.
• Yves Klein (1928–1962) – painter, lived in Fontenay-aux-Roses.
• Dieudonné (born 1966) – comedian, born in Fontenay.
• Laurent Aïello (born 1969) – Born in Fontenay, racing driver.
• Kamsoo Queen (born 1982) – model, comedian, lives in Fontenay-aux-Roses.
• Andrei Sinyavsky (1925–1997) – Russian writer, dissident, gulag survivor.
• Ilona Mitrecey (born 1993) – French singer, born in Fontenay-aux-Roses.

See also

• Communes of the Hauts-de-Seine department

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fontenay-aux-Roses.

• Fontenay-aux-Roses City Hall