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For treaties with this name see Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (disambiguation)


Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. It is located 19.1 km (11.9 miles) from the center of Paris
Kilometre Zero

In many countries, Kilometre Zero or similar terms in other languages, is a particular location , from which distances are traditionally measured....
. Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois. With its elegant tree-lined streets it is, with Garches-Vaucresson, the wealthiest suburb of Paris, combining both high-end leisure spots and ultra-residential neighborhoods (see the Golden Triangle of the Yvelines
The Golden Triangle of the Yvelines

The Golden Triangle of the Yvelines is an expression used to refer to the Yvelines area of France that includes suburban Chatou, Croissy-sur-Seine, and Le V?sinet, and the high wealth of their inhabitants, which include many state leaders, CEOs, and celebrities....
).

It is a sous-préfecture
Sous-préfecture

Subprefectures are the administrative towns of arrondissement in France in France that do not contain the Prefectures in France for its departments of France....
 of the Yvelines
Yvelines

The Yvelines are a France departments of France in the regions of France of ?le-de-France ....
 département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Arrondissement of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

The arrondissement of Saint-Germain-en-Laye is an Arrondissements of France of France, located in the Yvelines Departments of France, in the ?le-de-France Regions of France....
.






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Encyclopedia


For treaties with this name see Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye (disambiguation)


Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris
Paris

Paris is the Capital of France and the country's largest city. It is situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the ?le-de-France Regions of France ....
 in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. It is located 19.1 km (11.9 miles) from the center of Paris
Kilometre Zero

In many countries, Kilometre Zero or similar terms in other languages, is a particular location , from which distances are traditionally measured....
. Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois. With its elegant tree-lined streets it is, with Garches-Vaucresson, the wealthiest suburb of Paris, combining both high-end leisure spots and ultra-residential neighborhoods (see the Golden Triangle of the Yvelines
The Golden Triangle of the Yvelines

The Golden Triangle of the Yvelines is an expression used to refer to the Yvelines area of France that includes suburban Chatou, Croissy-sur-Seine, and Le V?sinet, and the high wealth of their inhabitants, which include many state leaders, CEOs, and celebrities....
).

It is a sous-préfecture
Sous-préfecture

Subprefectures are the administrative towns of arrondissement in France in France that do not contain the Prefectures in France for its departments of France....
 of the Yvelines
Yvelines

The Yvelines are a France departments of France in the regions of France of ?le-de-France ....
 département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Arrondissement of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

The arrondissement of Saint-Germain-en-Laye is an Arrondissements of France of France, located in the Yvelines Departments of France, in the ?le-de-France Regions of France....
. Because it includes the National Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

The Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye or For?t de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, is a dominial forest of 35 km? in area which lies in a meander of the River Seine....
, it covers approximately , making it the largest commune in Yvelines. It occupies a large loop of the Seine
Seine

The Seine is a slow flowing major river and commercial waterway within Regions of France of ?le-de-France and Haute-Normandie in France and famous as a romantic backdrop in photographs of Paris, France....
. Saint-Germain-en-Laye lies at one of western terminus of the line A
RER A

The 'RER A' is one of the five lines in the RER Rapid transit system serving Paris, France.The line runs from Saint-Germain-en-Laye , Cergy Le Haut , and Poissy ....
 of the RER
RER

The RER is a rapid transit system in France serving Paris and its suburbs. The RER is an integration of a modern city-centre subway and a pre-existing set of regional rail lines....
.

History


Saint-Germain-en-Laye was founded in 1020 when King Robert the Pious (ruled 996-1031) founded a convent
Convent

A convent may refer to a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or it may refer to the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion....
 on the site of the present Church of Saint-Germain
Saint-Germain

Saint-Germain may refer to:...
.

Prior to the French Revolution
French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudalism for the aristocracy and Roman Catholic Church clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Age of Enlightenment principles of cit...
 in 1789, it had been a royal town and the Château de Saint-Germain the residence of numerous French monarchs. The old château
Château

A ch?teau is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally - and still most frequently - in French language-speaking regions....
 was constructed in 1348 by King Charles V
Charles V of France

Charles V , called the Wise, was List of French monarchs from 1364 to his death and a member of the House of Valois. His reign marked a high point for France during the Hundred Years' War, with his armies recovering much of the territory ceded to England at the Treaty of Br?tigny....
 on the foundations of an old castle
Castle

A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The term has a history of scholarly debate surrounding its exact meaning, but it is usually regarded as being distinct from the general terms fort or fortress in that it describes a residence of a monarch or noble and commands a specific defensive territor...
 (château-fort) dating from 1238 in the time of Saint Louis
Louis IX of France

Louis IX , commonly Saint Louis, was List of French monarchs from 1226 to his death. He was also Counts of Artois from 1226 to 1237. Born at Poissy, near Paris, he was a member of the House of Capet and the son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile....
. François I was responsible for its subsequent restoration. In 1862, Napoleon III set up the Musée des Antiquités Nationales in the estwhile royal château. This museum has exhibits ranging from Paleolithic to Celtic times. The "Dame de Brassempouy" sculpted on a mammoth's ivory tusk around 23,000 years ago is the most famous exhibit in the museum.

Kings Henri IV and Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France

Louis XIII reigned as List of French monarchs and List of Navarrese monarchs from 1610 to 1643....
 left their mark on the town.

Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France

Louis XIV ruled as List of French monarchs and of King of Navarre. He ascended the throne a few months before his fifth birthday, but did not assume actual personal control of the government until the death of his prime minister , the Italians Jules Cardinal Mazarin, in 1661....
 was born in the château (the city's coat of arms
Coat of arms

A coat of arms, more properly called an armorial achievement, armorial bearings or often just arms for short, in European tradition, is a design belonging to a particular person and used by them in a wide variety of ways....
 consequently shows a cradle and the date of his birth), and established Saint-Germain-en-Laye as his principal residence from 1661 to 1681. Louis XIV turned over the château to King James II
James II of England

James II and VII was List of English monarchs, List of Scottish monarchs, and King of Ireland from 6 February 1685. He was the last Roman Catholic Church monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of Kingdom of England, Kingdom of Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland....
 after his exile from Britain after the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution

The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, was the overthrow of British monarchy James II of England in 1688 by a union of Parliament of England with an invading army led by the Dutch Republic stadtholder William III of England , who as a result ascended the English throne as William III of England....
 in 1688. King James lived in the Château for 13 years, and his daughter Louisa Maria Stuart
Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart

Princess Louisa Maria Teresa Stuart , known to Jacobitism as The Princess Royal, was the last child of the deposed James II of England and of his Queen, Mary of Modena....
 was born in exile here in 1692. King James Stuart is buried in the Church of Saint-Germain.

Saint-Germain-en-Laye is famous for its 2.4 kilometre long stone terrace built by André Le Nôtre
André Le Nôtre

Andr? Le N?tre was a landscape architect and the gardener of King Louis XIV of France from 1645 to 1700. Most notably, he was responsible for the construction of the park of the Palace of Versailles....
 from 1669 to 1673. The terrace provides a view over the valley of the Seine
Seine

The Seine is a slow flowing major river and commercial waterway within Regions of France of ?le-de-France and Haute-Normandie in France and famous as a romantic backdrop in photographs of Paris, France....
 and, in the distance, Paris.

During the French Revolution
French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudalism for the aristocracy and Roman Catholic Church clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Age of Enlightenment principles of cit...
, the name was changed along with many other places whose names held connotations of religion or royalty. Saint-Germain-en-Laye became Montagne-du-Bon-Air.

In the 19th century, Napoleon I established his cavalry officers training school in the Château-Vieux.

During the occupation from 1940 to 1944, the town was the German Army
German Army

The German Army is the land component of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Germany. Traditionally the German military forces have been composed of the Army, the Deutsche Marine, and an Luftwaffe after World War I....
 Headquarters.

Transport

Saint-Germain-en-Laye is served by Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Gare de Saint Germain-en-Laye

Saint Germain-en-Laye is the main railway station serving the royal city of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. The station opened on 14 August 1847, 20 years after the opening of the ligne de Saint Germain , using atmospheric railway....
 station on Paris RER line A
RER A

The 'RER A' is one of the five lines in the RER Rapid transit system serving Paris, France.The line runs from Saint-Germain-en-Laye , Cergy Le Haut , and Poissy ....
.

It is also served by two stations on the Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare suburban rail line: Saint-Germain – Bel-Air – Fourqueux and Saint-Germain – Grande Ceinture.

Finally, Saint-Germain-en-Laye is also served by Achères – Grand Cormier station on Paris RER line A and on the Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare suburban rail line. This station is located in the middle of the Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye

The Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye or For?t de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, is a dominial forest of 35 km? in area which lies in a meander of the River Seine....
, far away from the urbanized part of the commune.

Miscellaneous


Births


Saint-Germain-en-Laye was the birthplace of:
  • Henri II
    Henry II of France

    Henry II , of the House of Valois and the son and successor of Francis I of France, was King of France from 31 March 1547, until his death....
     (1519-1559), King of France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Charles IX
    Charles IX of France

    Charles IX born Charles-Maximilien, was King of France, ruling from 1560 until his death. He is best known as king at the time of the St....
     (1550-1574), King of France
  • Louis de Buade de Frontenac
    Louis de Buade de Frontenac

    Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau was a France courtier and Governor General of New France from 1672 to 1682 and from 1689 to his death in 1698....
     (1622-1698), French
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
     courtier and Governor of New France
    Governor of New France

    The Governor of New France was the viceroy of the King of France in North America. A French noble, he was appointed to govern the colonies of New France, which included Canada, Acadia and Louisiana ....
  • Louis XIV
    Louis XIV of France

    Louis XIV ruled as List of French monarchs and of King of Navarre. He ascended the throne a few months before his fifth birthday, but did not assume actual personal control of the government until the death of his prime minister , the Italians Jules Cardinal Mazarin, in 1661....
     (1638-1715), King of France
  • Claude Debussy
    Claude Debussy

    Achille-Claude Debussy was a French composer. Along with Maurice Ravel, he is considered one of the most prominent figures working within the field of Impressionist music, though he himself intensely disliked the term when applied to his compositions....
     (1862-1918), composer
    Composer

    A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
     of European classical music
  • Maurice Denis
    Maurice Denis

    Maurice Denis was a French Painting and writer, and a member of the Symbolism and Les Nabis movements. His theories contributed to the foundations of cubism, fauvism, and abstract art....
     (1870-1943), painter
    Painting

    Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . In art, the term describes both the act and the result, which is called a painting....
     and writer
    Writer

    A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms....
     and a member of the Symbolist
    Symbolism (arts)

    Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French and Belgium origin in symbolist poetry and other arts....
     and Les Nabis
    Les Nabis

    Les Nabis were a group of Post-Impressionism avant-garde artists who set the pace for fine arts and graphic arts in France in the 1890s. Initially a group of friends interested in contemporary art and literature, most of them studied at the private art school of Rodolphe Julian in Paris in the late 1880s....
     movements
  • Jehan Alain
    Jehan Alain

    Jehan Ariste Alain was a France organ and composer....
     (1911-1940), composer
    Composer

    A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
     of European classical music
  • Albert Dupontel
    Albert Dupontel

    Albert Dupontel is a France actor and film director. He started his career as a stand-up comedian....
     (born 1964), actor
    Actor

    An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
  • Amélie Mauresmo
    Amélie Mauresmo

    Am?lie Simone Mauresmo is a French professional tennis player. She is a former List of WTA number 1 ranked players. Mauresmo won two Grand Slam singles titles in 2006, at the 2006 Australian Open and at 2006 Wimbledon Championships....
     (born 1979), tennis player
  • Jonathan Eysseric
    Jonathan Eysseric

    Jonathan Eysseric is a junior tennis player from France.In 2007, he was the junior finalist at the 2007 Australian Open. At the 2007 French Open, he competed in the main and juniors draws....
     (born 1990), tennis player


Twin towns


Saint-Germain-en-Laye is twinned with:
  • Aschaffenburg
    Aschaffenburg

    Aschaffenburg is a large town in northwest Bavaria, Germany. The town of Aschaffenburg is not considered part of the district of Aschaffenburg , but is the administrative seat....
    , Germany
    Germany

    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
     - since 1975
  • Temara
    Temara

    Temara is a coastal city in Morocco. It is part of the Wilaya Rabat -Sal?, and is located directly south of Rabat on the Atlantic coast, in the suburban area of the capital....
    , Morocco
    Morocco

    Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa with a population of nearly 34 million and an area just under 447,000 km2....
     - since 1982
  • Ayr
    Ayr

    Ayr is a town and port situated on the Firth of Clyde, in south-west Scotland. It has been a royal burgh since 1205 and the county town of the former Counties of Scotland of Ayrshire....
    , Scotland
    Scotland

    conventional_long_name = ScotlandAlba|common_name= Scotland|image_flag = Flag of Scotland.svg|flag_width = 130px...
    , - since 1984
  • Winchester, Massachusetts
    Winchester, Massachusetts

    Winchester is a town located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, eight miles north of Boston. Its agricultural and manufacturing roots having mostly disappeared, it is now primarily a suburban "bedroom community." The population was 20,500 at the United States Census, 2000....
    , United States
    United States

    The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
     - since 1990
  • Konstancin-Jeziorna
    Konstancin-Jeziorna

    Konstancin-Jeziorna [] is a town in Piaseczno County, Masovian Voivodeship, Poland, with 16,435 inhabitants . It is located about 20 km south of downtown Warsaw and is a part of the metropolitan area of that city....
    , Poland
    Poland

    Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
     - since 1992


External links

  • (in French)