Épinay-sur-Orge
Encyclopedia
Épinay-sur-Orge is a commune
in the Essonne
department in Île-de-France
in northern France
.
It is situated near Orly Airport some 17 km (10.6 mi) south of Paris
on the A6 motorway
. Épinay is served by two stations on different branches of line C of the RER
suburban railway system: Épinay-sur-Orge and Petit-Vaux.
The inhabitants of Épinay are known as Spinoliens.
times. The town is first mentioned in a 9th century document as Spinetum. Traces of habitations from the Middle Ages
have been found at Breuil (in the South) and Petit Vaux (West of the present-day centre). Slowly, such clusters of building grew towards one agricultural settlement. The town was created in 1793. From May 1843, the development of the town received a boost from becoming a stop on the Paris-Orléans railway, now the main RER station. In the Franco-Prussian War
, the Prussians executed 4 resistance fighters in Épinay. A monument to them is in the town cemetery. On 23 August 1944, Épinay was liberated by the "group Warabiot" of the 2nd armoured division (the division Leclerc) on its way from Argentan
to Paris. On 21 January 1945, the city decided to rename the rue de Montlhéry, henceforth known as the rue de la Division Leclerc.
Another monument is the city hall, originally the palace of the Duchess Carafa de Noja. After her death in 1923, the town bought the building and surrounding park. This finally allowed the construction of a fresh water supply system (1923) and electrification (1925). The grand avenue leading towards the palace is still clearly recognizable, with cherry trees blooming in spring.
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 Essonne
Essonne
Essonne is a French department in the region of Île-de-France. It is named after the Essonne River.It was formed on 1 January 1968 when Seine-et-Oise was split into smaller departments.- History :...
department in Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
in northern 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 situated near Orly Airport some 17 km (10.6 mi) south 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...
on the A6 motorway
A6 autoroute (France)
The A6, also known as the Autoroute du Soleil, Sun's Motorway, , is an Autoroute in France, linking Paris to Lyon. The motorway starts at Paris's Porte d'Orléans and Porte d'Italie with two branches, numbered A6a and A6b respectively, that join south of Paris...
. Épinay is served by two stations on different branches of line C 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 underground rail and a pre-existing set of commuter rail lines. It has several connections with the Paris Métro within the city of Paris. Within the city, the RER...
suburban railway system: Épinay-sur-Orge and Petit-Vaux.
The inhabitants of Épinay are known as Spinoliens.
Geography
The town is located on a plateau overlooking three rivers:- the RouillonRouillonRouillon is a commune in the Sarthe department in the Pays de la Loire region in north-western France....
flows from west top east along the north side of the town and into the YvetteYvetteThe Yvette is a small river in southern Île-de-France , left tributary of the Orge, which is a tributary of the Seine. Its source is in Les Essarts-le-Roi, north of Rambouillet, in the Yvelines department...
; - the YvetteYvetteThe Yvette is a small river in southern Île-de-France , left tributary of the Orge, which is a tributary of the Seine. Its source is in Les Essarts-le-Roi, north of Rambouillet, in the Yvelines department...
flows from north to south past the east of the town and into the Orge at the point where the three communes of Épinay-sur-Orge, Villemoisson-sur-OrgeVillemoisson-sur-OrgeVillemoisson-sur-Orge is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France.Inhabitants of Villemoisson-sur-Orge are known as Villemoissonnais.-References:** -External links:* * *...
, and Savigny-sur-OrgeSavigny-sur-OrgeSavigny-sur-Orge is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 19.1 km from the center of Paris in the département of Essonne.During the 2005 civil unrest in France, Savigny was the first city to implement a curfew...
meet; - the OrgeOrgeThe Orge is a 53 km long river in France, left tributary of the Seine. Its source is in the village Saint-Martin-de-Bréthencourt. Its course crosses the départements of Yvelines and Essonne. It flows northwest through the towns of Dourdan, Saint-Chéron, Breuillet, Arpajon, and Savigny-sur-Orge,...
flows from west to east past the south of the town.
History
The area of Épinay-sur-Orge was inhabited from prehistoricPrehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
times. The town is first mentioned in a 9th century document as Spinetum. Traces of habitations from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
have been found at Breuil (in the South) and Petit Vaux (West of the present-day centre). Slowly, such clusters of building grew towards one agricultural settlement. The town was created in 1793. From May 1843, the development of the town received a boost from becoming a stop on the Paris-Orléans railway, now the main RER station. In the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
, the Prussians executed 4 resistance fighters in Épinay. A monument to them is in the town cemetery. On 23 August 1944, Épinay was liberated by the "group Warabiot" of the 2nd armoured division (the division Leclerc) on its way from Argentan
Argentan
Argentan is a commune, and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in north-western France.Argentan is located NE of Rennes, ENE of the Mont Saint-Michel, SE of Cherbourg, SSE of Caen, SW of Rouen and N of Le Mans....
to Paris. On 21 January 1945, the city decided to rename the rue de Montlhéry, henceforth known as the rue de la Division Leclerc.
Sights
Épinay-sur-Orge was long known for its system of market gardens, providing Parisians with fresh vegetables. The gardens were irrigated with a system of locks in the rivers. Only one of these remains. To the south-east of the town is the psychiatric hospital "Vaucluse". The building was the expatriate home of a rich Irishman who left it to the Départment of the Essonne in 1863 on the condition that it be turned into an "asylum for the mad". Reconstruction was finished in 1865. In 1869 the hospital opened with a capacity of around 1000 patients. At that time, the town had a population of 587. Patients built the tower on the grounds, as this was considered therapeutic. There is a long history of conflict between the hospital and the town over the high water level, caused by the river locks, which eroded the land of the hospital and flooded the patients' gardens.Another monument is the city hall, originally the palace of the Duchess Carafa de Noja. After her death in 1923, the town bought the building and surrounding park. This finally allowed the construction of a fresh water supply system (1923) and electrification (1925). The grand avenue leading towards the palace is still clearly recognizable, with cherry trees blooming in spring.