Saint-Cloud

Saint-Cloud

Saint-Cloud above the Seine

Paris and inner ring départements
Coordinates: 48°50′N 2°13′E / 48.84°N 2.22°ECoordinates: 48°50′N 2°13′E / 48.84°N 2.22°E
Country France
Region Île-de-France
Department Hauts-de-Seine
Arrondissement Boulogne-Billancourt
Canton Saint-Cloud
Intercommunality Cœur de Seine
Government
  Mayor (2005–2008) Éric Berdoati
Area1 7.56 km2 (2.92 sq mi)
Population (2006)2 29,981
  Density 4,000/km2 (10,000/sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code 92064 / 92210

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.

Saint-Cloud (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ˈklu]) is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 9.6 km (6.0 mi) from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of the Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine or Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of the wealthiest cities in France, ranked 2nd out of the 36,500 in average household income.[1]

History

Napoleon Bonaparte in the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire in Saint-Cloud, François Bouchot, 1840.

The town is named after Clodoald, grandson of Clovis, who is supposed to have sought refuge in a hamlet on the Seine near Paris, then named Novigentum, like many other newly founded mercantile settlements outside the traditional towns. Canonized after his death, the village where his tomb was located took the name of Sanctus Clodoaldus.

A park contains the ruins of the Château de Saint-Cloud, built in 1572 and destroyed by fire in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. The château was the residence of several French rulers and served as the main country residence of the cadet Orléans line prior to the French Revolution. The palace was also the site of the coup d'état led by Napoleon Bonaparte that overthrew the French Directory in 1799.

The town is also famous for the Saint-Cloud porcelain produced there from 1693 to 1766.[2]

The Headquarters of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) had been located at 22 Rue Armengaud from 1966 until 1989, when it moved to Lyon.

Main sights

The main landmarks are the park of the demolished Château de Saint-Cloud and the Pavillon de Breteuil. The Saint-Cloud Racecourse, a race track for Thoroughbred flat racing, was built by Edmond Blanc in 1901 and is host to a number of important races including the annual Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

Transport

Saint-Cloud is served by two stations on the Transilien La Défense and Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare suburban rail lines: Le Val d'Or and Saint-Cloud.

The town is also served by a number of stops on the T2 Tramway, which runs along the side of the Seine.

Central Saint-Cloud, known as le village, is also served by the metro station 'Boulogne-Pont de Saint-Cloud' (line 10), located across the Seine river on the Boulogne-Billancourt side of the Pont de Saint Cloud.

Education

Internationale Deutsche Schule Paris (École Allemande Internationale de Paris), the German international school, is in Saint-Cloud.[3]

Personalities

Saint-Cloud was the birthplace of:

Twin towns

Saint-Cloud is twinned with:

See also

References

  1. List of French cities by wealth (French)
  2. J. Paul Getty Museum. "Saint-Cloud Porcelain Manufactory". Retrieved 2008-01-13.
  3. "Get in contact." Internationale Deutsche Schule Paris. Retrieved on 23 January 2015. "Postanschrift: 18 rue Pasteur F - 92210 SAINT CLOUD Besucheradresse: 12 rue Lelégard F - 92210 SAINT-CLOUD"
  4. "British towns twinned with French towns [via WaybackMachine.com]". Archant Community Media Ltd. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 2013-07-20.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Saint-Cloud.