Montrouge
Encyclopedia
Montrouge is a commune
in the southern Parisian suburbs, located 4.4 km (2.7 mi) from the center of Paris, France
. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. After a long period of decline, the population has increased again in recent years.
monte (mountain) and rubeus (red), meaning Red Mountain, because of the reddish color of the earth in this area.
The name of the community was first mentioned in monastery documents in 1194.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the hamlet was home to monasteries and a number of religious orders, while in the 15th century it became the site of quarries used for the reconstruction of Paris. The late sixteenth century saw the plain of Montrouge named "reserve for royal hunts", and during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was known for its windmills, which, sadly, have all now disappeared.
On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occasion, most of the commune of Montrouge was annexed to Paris, forming what is now called Petit-Montrouge
, in the 14th arrondissement
of Paris. The remainder of Montrouge was preserved as an independent town.
In 1875, the town gained a few thousand square metres from the neighboring communes of Châtillon
and Bagneux
(principally in the neighborhood (le quartier) called Haut Mesnil).
station on Paris Métro Line 13
. This station is located at the border between the commune of Montrouge and the commune of Châtillon
, on the Châtillon side of the border.
The community is also served by Porte d'Orléans
station on Paris Métro Line 4
. This station, although administratively located on the territory of the 14th arrondissement
of Paris, lies closer to the town center of Montrouge than does the Châtillon – Montrouge station, and is thus used by many people in Montrouge.
Metro Line 4 is being extended to the south. Three new stations (Mairie de Montrouge, Verdun Sud, and Bagneux) have been planned. The first one will open by mid 2012, while no date has been set for the later two.
Bus line 68 runs from Metro Châtillon Montrouge all the way up through Montparnasse, the Louvre, the Paris Opera and ends at the Place de Clichy, site of the Moulin Rouge.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
in the southern Parisian suburbs, located 4.4 km (2.7 mi) from the center of Paris, France
Kilometre Zero
In many countries, Kilometre Zero or similar terms in other languages, is a particular location , from which distances are traditionally measured...
. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. After a long period of decline, the population has increased again in recent years.
History
There are a number of colorful traditions about the name "Montrouge", but it appears that it in fact comes from the Latin wordsLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
monte (mountain) and rubeus (red), meaning Red Mountain, because of the reddish color of the earth in this area.
The name of the community was first mentioned in monastery documents in 1194.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the hamlet was home to monasteries and a number of religious orders, while in the 15th century it became the site of quarries used for the reconstruction of Paris. The late sixteenth century saw the plain of Montrouge named "reserve for royal hunts", and during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was known for its windmills, which, sadly, have all now disappeared.
On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occasion, most of the commune of Montrouge was annexed to Paris, forming what is now called Petit-Montrouge
Petit-Montrouge
The quartier du Petit-Montrouge is number 55 of the 80 quartiers administratifs in Paris. It lies in the 14th Arrondissement, in the south of the capital. It owes its name to the adjacent commune of Montrouge, of which it formed a part before 1860...
, in the 14th arrondissement
XIVe arrondissement
The 14th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France....
of Paris. The remainder of Montrouge was preserved as an independent town.
In 1875, the town gained a few thousand square metres from the neighboring communes of Châtillon
Châtillon, Hauts-de-Seine
Châtillon is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The town was formerly named Châtillon-sous-Bagneux, and a relic of this denomination remains in at least one road sign in Vanves Châtillon is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of...
and Bagneux
Bagneux, Hauts-de-Seine
Bagneux is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Transport:Bagneux is served by Bagneux station on Paris RER line B...
(principally in the neighborhood (le quartier) called Haut Mesnil).
Economy
Industrial development started in 1925 and soon, many printing factories were to be found in the town. Most of these have disappeared today. Since the early years of the twenty-first century, professional services and telecommunications have been the main business activities.- Aeronautical and electronic engineering, AlstomAlstomAlstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
, SchlumbergerSchlumbergerSchlumberger Limited is the world's largest oilfield services company. Schlumberger employs over 110,000 people of more than 140 nationalities working in approximately 80 countries...
, Siemens AGSiemens AGSiemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
, ST Microelectronics - Telecommunications, OrangeOrange SAOrange is the brand used by France Télécom for its mobile network operator and Internet service provider subsidiaries. It is the fifth largest telecom operator in the world, with 210 million customers . The brand was created in 1994 for Hutchison Telecom's UK mobile phone network, which was...
- The Papier d'ArméniePapier d'ArméniePapier d'Arménie, or Armenian Paper, is a room deodorizing product sold as booklets of twelve sheets of paper each cut into three pieces, which are coated with benzoin resin, the dried sap of styrax trees.-History:...
(lit. Armenian Paper)
Public transport
Montrouge is served by the Châtillon – MontrougeChâtillon - Montrouge (Paris Métro)
Châtillon - Montrouge is a surface station on line line 13 of the Paris Métro in the communes of Châtillon and Montrouge. The station opened on 9 November 1976 as part of the extension of line 13 from Porte de Vanves....
station on Paris Métro Line 13
Paris Metro Line 13
Line 13 is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system. The result of the fusion of the now-extinct Line B of the Nord-Sud Company and the old Line 14 of the CMP. Their creation was destined to be replaced by a north-south RER line before the reorganisation of the...
. This station is located at the border between the commune of Montrouge and the commune of Châtillon
Châtillon, Hauts-de-Seine
Châtillon is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The town was formerly named Châtillon-sous-Bagneux, and a relic of this denomination remains in at least one road sign in Vanves Châtillon is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of...
, on the Châtillon side of the border.
The community is also served by Porte d'Orléans
Porte d'Orléans (Paris Metro)
Porte d'Orléans is a station and southern terminus of line 4 of the Paris Métro and a stop on tramway line 3. It is situated in the 14th Arrondissement, in the quartier of Petit-Montrouge. A terminal loop is provided at the station for trains to turn around to return north towards Porte de...
station on Paris Métro Line 4
Paris Metro Line 4
Line 4 is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system. Situated entirely within the boundaries of the City of Paris, it connects Porte de Clignancourt in the north and Porte d'Orléans in the south, travelling across the heart of the city. As a result, it is sometimes called...
. This station, although administratively located on the territory of the 14th arrondissement
XIVe arrondissement
The 14th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France....
of Paris, lies closer to the town center of Montrouge than does the Châtillon – Montrouge station, and is thus used by many people in Montrouge.
Metro Line 4 is being extended to the south. Three new stations (Mairie de Montrouge, Verdun Sud, and Bagneux) have been planned. The first one will open by mid 2012, while no date has been set for the later two.
Bus line 68 runs from Metro Châtillon Montrouge all the way up through Montparnasse, the Louvre, the Paris Opera and ends at the Place de Clichy, site of the Moulin Rouge.
The Arts in Montrouge
As you can see from the list below, Montrouge was the home of a number of well-known twentieth century artists. Currently the town is also well known for two contemporary art exhibitions:- The Montrouge Contemporary Art Show, which has existed for over 50 years
- The JCE, that is European Young Artists exhibition.
Personalities
Some famous Montrougiens:- Émile BoutrouxEmile BoutrouxÉtienne Émile Marie Boutroux was an eminent 19th century French philosopher of science and religion, and an historian of philosophy. He was a firm opponent of materialism in science. He was a spiritual philosopher who defended the idea that religion and science are compatible at a time when the...
(1845–1921), philosopher and member of the Académie françaiseAcadémie françaiseL'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,... - ColucheColucheMichel Colucci , better known as Coluche, was a French comedian and actor, famous for his irreverent sense of humour....
(b. 1944 in Paris–1986) (Michel Collucci), comedian and sometime political figure, founder of the "Restos du coeur" soup kitchens. - Robert DoisneauRobert DoisneauRobert Doisneau was a French photographer. In the 1930s he used a Leica on the streets of Paris; together with Henri Cartier-Bresson he was a pioneer of photojournalism...
(1912–1994), photographer, born in GentillyGentilly, Val-de-MarneGentilly is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Name:The name Gentilly was recorded for the first time in the 6th century as Gentiliacum, a royal estate of some importance where coinage was minted. The etymology of the name seems to be...
, lived in Montrouge from 1937 on. - Raymond FedermanRaymond FedermanRaymond Federman was a French–American novelist and academic, known also for poetry, essays, translations, and criticism. He held positions at the University at Buffalo from 1973 to 1999, when he was appointed Distinguished Emeritus Professor. Federman was a writer in the experimental style, one...
(b. 1928) American novelist and academic currently living in San Diego. - Jean-Jacques GoldmanJean-Jacques GoldmanJean-Jacques Goldman is a Grammy Awards-winning French singer-songwriter. He is hugely popular in the French-speaking world, and since 2003 was the second-highest-grossing French living pop singer, after Johnny Hallyday.- Biography :...
, lyricist and singer, he has lived most of his life in MarseilleMarseilleMarseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
. - William Grover-WilliamsWilliam Grover-WilliamsWilliam Charles Frederick Grover-Williams , also known as "W Williams", was a Grand Prix motor racing driver and special agent who worked for the Special Operations Executive inside France. He organized and coordinated the Chestnut network...
(1903–1945), racing driver and Special Operations ExecutiveSpecial Operations ExecutiveThe Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
agent. - Pablo PicassoPablo PicassoPablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso known as Pablo Ruiz Picasso was a Spanish expatriate painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer, one of the greatest and most influential artists of the...
(1881–1973). The cubist had his workshop in Montrouge from 1916 to 1918. - Bernard PivotBernard PivotBernard Pivot, OC, CQ is a journalist, interviewer and host of French cultural television programmes. He is a member of the Académie Goncourt.-Biography:Pivot was born in Lyon, the son of grocers...
(b. 1935). Famous journalist and television personality. Born in LyonLyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
,Mr. Pivot has lived in Montrouge since 2003. - Claude SautetClaude SautetClaude Sautet was a French author and film director.-Biography:Born in Montrouge, Hauts-de-Seine, France, Claude Sautet first studied painting and sculpture before attending a film university in Paris where he began his career and later became a television producer...
(1924–2000), director and screenwriter. - Octave LapizeOctave LapizeOctave Lapize was a French professional road racing cyclist and track cyclist.Most famous for winning the 1910 Tour de France and a bronze medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kilometres, he was a three-time winner of one-day classics, Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Brussels.In his first...
(1887–1917), winner of the 1910 Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The... - Dr.Georges Lazaroux (born. 1963) famous Canadian pediatric cardiologist, born in Montrouge, emigrated to Quebec City, Canada c. 1972
- Robert BrasillachRobert BrasillachRobert Brasillach was a French author and journalist. Brasillach is best known as the editor of Je suis partout, a nationalist newspaper which came to advocate various fascist movements and supported Jacques Doriot...
(1909–1945) French author and journalist.