Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Montreuil
City
Montreuil Town Hall
Coat of arms
Paris and nearby areas
Montreuil Location in France Show map of France Montreuil Location in Île-de-France (region) Show map of Île-de-France (region)
Country	France
Region	Île-de-France
Department	Seine-Saint-Denis
Arrondissement	Bobigny
Canton	Montreuil-1 and 2
Intercommunality	Grand Paris
Area 1	8.92 km2 (3.44 sq mi)
Population  (2021)	111,455
• Density	12,495/km2 (32,362/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	93048 /93100
Elevation	52–117 m (171–384 ft) (avg. 70 m or 230 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Montreuil is a lively city located in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is about 6.6 km (4.1 mi) from the center of Paris. Montreuil is part of the Seine-Saint-Denis area and the larger Métropole du Grand Paris. With over 111,000 people living there in 2020, it is one of the biggest suburbs of Paris. The city is just north of Paris's Bois de Vincennes, a large park.

What Does the Name Montreuil Mean?

The name Montreuil was first written down in the year 722. It came from the Latin word Monasteriolum, which means "little monastery". This is because the city started as a group of houses built around a small monastery from the Merovingian dynasty period.

A Quick Look at Montreuil's History

Montreuil has a long and interesting history. A small monastery was built here during the Merovingian dynasty, on a hill overlooking Vincennes. This is likely how the city got its name.

Later, during the time of kings Louis XIV and Louis XVI, Montreuil was famous for its "Peach Walls." These special walls helped grow peaches for the royal court. The city was also home to the famous Lumière brothers, who invented cinema, and George Méliès, a movie pioneer. Their workshops were in Montreuil.

In 1860, the city of Paris grew bigger by adding parts of nearby towns. Montreuil received a small piece of land from the town of Charonne during this time.

Today, Montreuil is divided into several areas, each with its own feel:

• Le bas Montreuil: This area has old workshops and is close to Paris.
• The Mairie (Town Hall): This is the city center, with the town hall and the Church of St Peter and St Paul.
• La Noue: This area is near the Parc des Guilands, a large park.
• Le Bel Air: Here you can find the Parc des Beaumonts and different housing areas.
• La Boissière: This is the northern part of Montreuil, with Parc Montreau and more of Parc des Beaumonts.

Famous Art and Heritage in Montreuil

Montreuil is home to some cool art and historical spots:

• School Decorations: The "Voltaire" school has beautiful decorations, including ceramics and paintings, made by Maurice Boitel in 1954.
• Street Art: You can see many colorful street art murals on buildings around the city. One famous mural honors Frantz Fanon, a French philosopher.
• "Au temps d'harmonie": This famous painting by the 19th-century French artist Paul Signac is displayed in the town hall.
• Student Residence Art: The Georges Méliès student residence has a special art piece made of enamels by Guillaume Bottazzi at its entrance.

Montreuil's Coat of Arms

The coat of arms for Montreuil has a blue background. It features a gold-colored chevron (a V-shape) between three golden peach branches. At the very top, in the center, there is a golden Fleur-de-lis, which is a symbol often used in French royalty.

Montreuil's Climate

Montreuil has an oceanic climate, which means it has mild temperatures and rain throughout the year. The average temperature is about 12.0 °C (53.6 °F) (53.6°F). May is usually the wettest month.

The warmest month is July, with an average temperature of about 20.2 °C (68.4 °F) (68.4°F). The coldest month is January, averaging around 4.6 °C (40.3 °F) (40.3°F).

The highest temperature ever recorded in Montreuil was 40.0 °C (104.0 °F) (104°F) in July 2019 and August 2003. The coldest temperature ever recorded was −17.7 °C (0.1 °F) (0.1°F) in January 1985.

Who Lives in Montreuil?

Montreuil has grown a lot over the years. Here's how its population has changed:

Montreuil is known for having a large community of people from Mali, a country in West Africa. Some people even jokingly call it "Mali-sous-Bois" or "Bamako-sur-Seine" because of this. It's estimated that Montreuil has the biggest Malian community in France.

How Montreuil is Governed

The mayor of Montreuil is Patrice Bessac, who is a member of the French Communist Party. He was first elected in 2014 and then re-elected in 2020. The city is divided into two main areas for local government, called cantons: canton of Montreuil-1 and canton of Montreuil-2.

Streets in Montreuil

Montreuil's Economy

Montreuil is home to some well-known companies. For example, the video game company Ubisoft has its main office here. Also, the Paris office for Air France, a major airline, is located in Montreuil.

Schools and Libraries in Montreuil

Montreuil has many schools for different age groups. There are eight middle schools (collèges), three high schools (lycées), and two technical high schools. It also has a university branch, the IUT of the University of Paris 8.

Some of the high schools include:

• Lycée Eugénie-Cotton
• Lycée Jean Jaurès
• Lycée Condorcet

The Montreuil Library system has several branches. The biggest one is the Robert-Desnos Central Library, which is in a park near the town hall. It even has a music library and computers with internet access. Other libraries include Daniel-Renoult, Colonel-Fabien, and Paul-Eluard, serving different parts of the city.

Famous People from Montreuil

Many talented people have lived in or come from Montreuil, including:

• Djamel Abdoun, a footballer who played in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
• Mehdi Abeid, a footballer.
• Nicolas Aithadi, known for visual effects in movies like Guardians of the Galaxy.
• Jean-Claude Andruet, a rally car driver.
• Oumar Bakari, a footballer.
• Vicki Bècho, a footballer for the French women's national team.
• Sacha Boey, a footballer.
• Élodie Bouchez, an actress.
• Jacques Brel, a famous singer, songwriter, and actor.
• Olivier Dacourt, a footballer.
• Henri Decaë, a cinematographer (someone who works with cameras for films).
• Jean Delannoy, a director.
• Yehvann Diouf, a Senegalese footballer.
• Pape Gueye, a footballer.
• Adèle Haenel, an actress.
• Ethan Mbappé, a footballer.
• Nordi Mukiele, a footballer.
• Elisha Owusu, a footballer.
• Émile Reynaud, a director.
• Mamadou Samassa, a footballer.
• Abel Thermeus, a footballer.
• Tignous, a cartoonist.
• Frédéric Verger, a writer.
• Warren Zaïre-Emery, a footballer.

Getting Around Montreuil

Montreuil is well-connected by public transport. You can get around using Paris Métro Line 9, which has three stations in the city: Robespierre, Croix de Chavaux, and Mairie de Montreuil.

New transport lines are also being built, including an extension of Métro Line 11 to Montreuil-Hôpital and an extension of the T1 tramway. There might even be a new Métro Line 1 station in eastern Montreuil in the future.

Montreuil Around the World

Montreuil has special connections with other cities around the world. It is twinned with Cottbus in Germany, and also with several other towns and cities in Africa, Asia, and Europe. These partnerships help build friendships and cultural exchanges between different places.

Images for kids

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  Ubisoft administrative head office in Montreuil

See also

In Spanish: Montreuil (Sena-Saint Denis) para niños