Vélizy-Villacoublay

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Vélizy-Villacoublay (French pronunciation: [velizi vilakublɛ] ) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris 13.9 km (8.6 mi) from the center and 3.2 km (2.0 mi) east of Versailles. Its inhabitants are called Véliziens.

Vélizy-Villacoublay
The church of Saint-Denis, in Vélizy-Villacoublay
The church of Saint-Denis, in Vélizy-Villacoublay
Coat of arms of Vélizy-Villacoublay
Location of Vélizy-Villacoublay
Map
Vélizy-Villacoublay is located in France
Vélizy-Villacoublay
Vélizy-Villacoublay
Vélizy-Villacoublay is located in Île-de-France (region)
Vélizy-Villacoublay
Vélizy-Villacoublay
Coordinates: 48°47′00″N 2°11′00″E / 48.7834°N 2.1834°E / 48.7834; 2.1834
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentYvelines
ArrondissementVersailles
CantonVersailles-2
IntercommunalityCA Versailles Grand Parc
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Pascal Thévenot[1]
Area
1
9.09 km2 (3.51 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[2]
22,713
 • Density2,500/km2 (6,500/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC 01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC 02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
78640 /78140
Elevation102–179 m (335–587 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geography

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Established on the Parisian plateau, the town of Vélizy-Villacoublay borders Meudon in the north-east, Clamart in the east, Bièvres in the south-east, Viroflay in the north-west, and Chaville in the north.

Vélizy-Villacoublay is a very urbanized town bordering the Meudon forest, which spans over 300 hectares (741 acres) of communal land.

There are six districts: Mozart, le Clos, le Mail, Louvois, la Pointe Ouest et Vélizy-le-Bas (with l'Ursine and le Bocage).

History

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The word "Vélizy" comes from the Latin word villa. "Villacoublay" is formed from the same word, combined with the Gallo-Roman patronym "Escoblenus". Originally called simply Vélizy, the name of the commune became officially Vélizy-Villacoublay in 1938.

The territory was formed from three distinct manors: Vélizy, Villacoublay, and Ursine, established in the 11th century. The domains were progressively annexed into the royal estate beginning in the 12th century (Vélizy was annexed at the end of the 13th century).

The airbase in Villacoublay, Vélizy – Villacoublay Air Base, was built in 1911. In 1974 the Vélizy 2 shopping mall was opened.

The body of Diana, Princess of Wales was flown to RAF Northolt, west London, from here after her death in Paris on August 31, 1997.[3]

Population

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1793 168—    
1800 130−3.60%
1806 158 3.30%
1821 200 1.58%
1831 151−2.77%
1836 197 5.46%
1841 213 1.57%
1846 221 0.74%
1851 207−1.30%
1856 178−2.97%
1861 178 0.00%
1866 185 0.77%
1872 206 1.81%
1876 261 6.09%
1881 236−1.99%
1886 227−0.77%
1891 273 3.76%
1896 268−0.37%
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901 230−3.01%
1906 294 5.03%
1911 438 8.30%
1921 1,487 13.00%
1926 2,246 8.60%
1931 3,673 10.34%
1936 4,175 2.60%
1946 3,773−1.01%
1954 6,075 6.13%
1962 6,402 0.66%
1968 15,471 15.84%
1975 22,611 5.57%
1982 22,430−0.11%
1990 20,725−0.98%
1999 20,342−0.21%
2007 19,994−0.22%
2012 21,104 1.09%
2017 22,036 0.87%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

Main sights

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  • The Saint-Denis church
  • The Saint-Jean-Baptiste church, in modern style.
  • The barracks of the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité (CRS).
  • l'Onde Cultural Center, finished in December 2000 and designed by the architect Claude Vasconi, which is composed of one hall with 670 seats, a multidisciplinary room of 200 seats, two large dance halls, an orchestra room, 12 studios, 4 classrooms, a recording room, and a percussion room.
 
Town hall

Transport

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Vélizy-Villacoublay is served by no station of the Paris Métro, RER, or suburban rail network. The closest station to Vélizy-Villacoublay is Chaville–Vélizy station on Paris RER line C. This station is located in the neighboring commune of Viroflay, 1.7 km (1.1 mi) from the town center of Vélizy-Villacoublay. Since 2014, Vélizy-Villacoublay has been served by tramway line T6 with 7 stations.

The town is also served by the A86 autoroute, the 118 national route (RN118), and the RN286. The A86 includes a two-leveled tunnel between Rueil-Malmaison and Vélizy-Villacoublay. It is also served by a Veolia Transport bus line (Connex), of the RATP,

Economy

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Education

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Twin towns – sister cities

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Vélizy-Villacoublay is twinned with:[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. ^ "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Northolt: RAF's celebrated airfield 'may be sold to property developers'".
  4. ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Vélizy-Villacoublay, EHESS (in French).
  5. ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
  6. ^ "Vélizy-Villacoublay, jumelée avec 4 autres villes". velizy-villacoublay.fr (in French). Vélizy-Villacoublay. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
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