Bobigny

Bobigny

Prefecture building

Coat of arms

Paris and inner ring départements
Coordinates: 48°54′38″N 2°26′23″E / 48.9106°N 2.4397°ECoordinates: 48°54′38″N 2°26′23″E / 48.9106°N 2.4397°E
Country France
Region Île-de-France
Department Seine-Saint-Denis
Arrondissement Bobigny
Canton Bobigny
Government
  Mayor (2014-) Stéphane de Paoli
Area1 6.77 km2 (2.61 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 48,528
  Density 7,200/km2 (19,000/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 93008 / 93000
Elevation 39–57 m (128–187 ft)
(avg. 45 m or 148 ft)

1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Bobigny (French pronunciation: [bo.bi.ɲi]) is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 9.1 km (5.7 mi) from the center of Paris. Bobigny is the préfecture (capital) of the Seine-Saint-Denis département, as well as the seat of the Arrondissement of Bobigny. It is only the 12th-largest commune in Seine-Saint-Denis (1999 census).

Inhabitants are called Balbyniens.

Its name is derived from Roman-period Balbiniacum, "the place of Balbo or Balbinus or Balbinius"; or "of the dumb or silent man/men" (Gaulish: Irish Gaelic balbh = "dumb, silent").

Transport

Bobigny is served by two stations on Paris Métro Line 5: Bobigny – Pantin – Raymond Queneau and Bobigny – Pablo Picasso.

Economy

Valeo has management branches (Valeo Transmissions group and Valeo Friction Materials group) here. It was also the manufacturing base by Meccano of French Dinky Toys from 1933 to 1971.

History

During World War II, approximately 20,000 Jews were shipped from a railway station in Bobigny. Their ultimate destination was the Nazi camps.

Bobigny is the place where the registrations for the guns bought for the war before 1930s are kept.

List of mayors

Start End Name Party
1944 1955 Léon Pesch PCF
1955 1965 René Guesnier PCF
1965 1995 Georges Valbon PCF
1995 2006 Bernard Birsinger PCF
2006 2014 Catherine Peyge PCF
2014 - Stéphane de Paoli UDI

Personalities

Bobigny is the birthplace of:

Heraldry

The arms of Bobigny are blazoned :
Or, a saltire gules, overall on an inescutcheon azure, a basket filled with fruit and flowers and topped with 7 ears of wheat argent.

The village of Bobigny was under Saint Andrew, hence the cross of Saint Andrew (saltire). The small shield in the middle evokes the agricultural nature of the commune, before the spread of built-up Paris surrrounded it.

International relations

Bobigny is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Relations internationales et culture de paix". Ville de Bobigny (official site). Retrieved 21 July 2008.
  2. "Die Partnerstädte der Landeshauptstadt Potsdam". www.potsdam.de (in German). Retrieved 24 June 2010.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bobigny.