Enghien-les-Bains
Encyclopedia
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 northern suburbs of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It is located 13.5 kilometres (8.4 mi) from the centre 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...
, in the département
Départements of France
The departments of France are French administrative divisions. The 101 departments form one of the three levels of local government, together with the 22 metropolitan and 5 overseas regions above them and more than 36 000 communes beneath them...
of Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise
Val-d'Oise is a French department, created in 1968 after the split of the Seine-et-Oise department and located in the Île-de-France region. In local slang, it is known as "quatre-vingt quinze" or "neuf cinq"...
.
Enghien-les-Bains is famous as a spa resort and a well-to-do suburb of Paris, developed in the nineteenth century around the scenic lake of Enghien
Lac d'Enghien
-Geography:Lac d'Enghien is in the Île-de-France region, approximately seven miles north of Paris. Administratively it belongs to the commune of Enghien-les-Bains in the department of Val-d'Oise. It is the department's largest body of water.-Features:...
. A casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
, the only casino in the vicinity of Paris, is located on the shores of the lake. Enghien-les-Bains is also the birthplace of the actress and singer, Mistinguett
Mistinguett
Mistinguett was a French actress and singer, whose birth name was Jeanne Bourgeois. She was at one time the best-paid female entertainer in the world...
(1875–1956).
Name
The name Enghien-les-Bains literally means "Enghien Spa". The suffix was added to the name when the communeCommunes 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...
was incorporated in 1850, to distinguish this place from the Belgian city of Enghien
Enghien
Enghien is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Enghien had a total population of 11,980. The total area is 40.59 km² which gives a population density of 295 inhabitants per km²....
, near Mons
Mons
Mons is a Walloon city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour , Jemappes, Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles,...
, and to acknowledge the thermal bath
Thermal bath
A thermal bath is a warm body of water. It is often referred to as a spa, which is traditionally used to mean a place where the water is believed to have special health-giving properties, though note that many spas offer cold water or mineral water treatments.A thermal bath may be part of a...
s for which Enghien-les-Bains is famous.
Prince of Condé
The Most Serene House of Condé is a historical French house, a noble lineage of descent from a single ancestor...
, a cadet branch of the French royal family, who inherited the duchy of Montmorency
Montmorency, Val-d'Oise
Montmorency is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Montmorency was the fief of the Montmorency family, one of the oldest and most distinguished families of the French nobility...
in 1633. In 1689 they were allowed by King Louis XIV to rename the duchy of Montmorency to be the "duchy of Enghien", in order to revive the title, duc d'Enghien
Duke of Enghien
The title of Duke of Enghien may, like many noble titles, refer to any of several historical figures.-Dukes of Enghien - first creation :...
, which they had lost in 1569 at the death of Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Louis de Bourbon was a prominent Huguenot leader and general, the founder of the House of Condé, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon.-Life:...
, who had not legally registered the title.
The village of Montmorency (now a city) continued to be known as "Montmorency", despite the official name change, but the name "Enghien" clung to the nearby lake and marshland that would later become the commune of Enghien-les-Bains.
History
Before the French RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, what is now Enghien-les-Bains was a lake and a marshland under the jurisdiction of Montmorency
Montmorency, Val-d'Oise
Montmorency is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.Montmorency was the fief of the Montmorency family, one of the oldest and most distinguished families of the French nobility...
.
In 1766, a priest at the oratory
Oratory (worship)
An oratory is a Christian room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.-Catholic church:In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass...
of Montmorency discovered a warm sulphur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
spring near the lake of Enghien, and the area began to develop as a spa resort.
At the creation of the communes in 1790, during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, the area of Enghien was withdrawn from the jurisdiction of Montmorency and divided between several communes.
In the nineteenth century, the development of Enghien led to its incorporation as a commune. The commune, which was named Enghien-les-Bains, was created on 7 August 1850 by detaching a part of the territory of Deuil-la-Barre
Deuil-la-Barre
Deuil-la-Barre is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.-Name:Originally called simply Deuil, the name of the commune became officially Deuil-la-Barre on 7 December 1952.-History:...
and merging it with a part of the territory of Saint-Gratien
Saint-Gratien, Val-d'Oise
Saint-Gratien is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-History:On August 7, 1850, a part of the territory of Saint-Gratien was detached and merged with a part of the territory of Deuil-la-Barre, a part of the territory of...
, a part of the territory of Soisy-sous-Montmorency
Soisy-sous-Montmorency
Soisy-sous-Montmorency is a commune in the Val-d'Oise département located north of Paris, France.-History:On 7 August 1850, a part of the territory of Soisy-sous-Montmorency was detached and merged with a part of the territory of Saint-Gratien, a part of the territory of Deuil-la-Barre, and a part...
, and a part of the territory of Épinay-sur-Seine
Épinay-sur-Seine
-Transport:Épinay-sur-Seine is served by Épinay-sur-Seine station on Paris RER line C.It is also served by Épinay – Villetaneuse station on the Transilien Paris – Nord suburban rail line....
.
Transport
Enghien-les-Bains is served by two stations on the Transilien Paris–NordTransilien Paris – Nord
Transilien Paris – Nord is one of the sectors in the Paris Transilien suburban rail network. The trains on this sector depart from Gare du Nord in central Paris, as well as from Pontoise station in the suburbs. Transilien services from Paris – Nord are part of the SNCF Gare du Nord rail network...
suburban rail line: La Barre–Ormesson and Enghien-les-Bains.