| Meudon | |
| Commune Status: | Commune |
| Map: | Meudon_map.svg |
| Image Coat Of Arms: | Blason ville fr Meudon (Hauts-de-Seine).svg |
| Map Caption: | Paris and inner ring départements |
| Coordinates: | 48.8123°N 2.2382°W |
| Arrondissement: | Boulogne-Billancourt |
| Canton: | Meudon |
| Insee: | 92048 |
| Postal Code: | 92190, 92360 |
| Mayor: | Denis Larghero[1] |
| Term: | 2020 - 2026 |
| Party: | UDI |
| Intercommunality: | Grand Paris |
| Elevation M: | 103 |
| Elevation Min M: | 28 |
| Elevation Max M: | 179 |
| Area Km2: | 9.90 |
Meudon (in French pronounced as /mødɔ̃/) is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located 9.1km (05.7miles) from the center of Paris. The city is known for many historic monuments and some extraordinary trees.
The town of Meudon is built on the hills and valleys of the Seine. The wood of Meudon lies for the most part to the west of the town.
The north-west part of Meudon, overlooking the Seine, is known as Bellevue ("beautiful view").
The neighboring communes are: Sèvres (North-west), Boulogne-Billancourt (North); Issy-les-Moulineaux (northeast), Clamart (east and southeast), Vélizy (south and southwest) and Chaville (west).
The town includes several districts: Meudon-sur-Seine, Val Fleury, Meudon-Centre, Bellevue and Meudon-La-Forêt.
At Meudon, the argile plastique clay was extensively mined in the 19th century. The first fossil of the European diatryma Gastornis parisiensis was discovered in these deposits by Gaston Planté.
Archaeological sites show that Meudon has been populated since Neolithic times.
The Gauls called the area Mol-Dum (sand dune), and the Romans Latinized the name as Moldunum.
The handsome Galliera Institutions, on the hill of Fleury, were founded by the duchess of Galliera for the care of aged persons and orphans. The buildings were completed in 1885.
The old castle of Meudon was rebuilt in Renaissance style in the mid-sixteenth century. It was bought by Louis XIV as a residence for his son Louis, the Dauphin under whom Meudon became a center of aristocratic life. After the death of the Dauphin in 1711, the château was neglected, emptied in the Revolutionary sales, and finally burned in 1871 at the close of the Franco-Prussian War, while it was occupied by Prussian soldiers. A branch of the Paris Observatory was founded on the ruins in 1877. The Meudon town hall is about 43m (141feet) in altitude above that of Paris and the climb from there to the observatory offers some rewarding views of Paris.
Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot, the inventor of the 'world's first automobile', is reported to have carried out some early trials at Meudon in the early 1770s.
Chalais-Meudon was important in the pioneering of aviation, initially balloons and airships, but also the early heavier-than-air machines. A Corps d'Aérostatiers under the command of Jean-Marie-Joseph Coutelle was established in 1794, its balloons being used at the Battle of Fleurus. 'Hangar Y' (at 48.7977°N 2.233°W) was built in 1880 at the request of the military engineer Captain Charles Renard (1847–1905), for the construction of balloons and airships. The building is 70m (230feet) long, 24m (79feet) wide and around 26m (85feet) high. The airship La France, designed by Renard and Arthur Krebs, was built in Hangar Y in 1884 and was the first airship which was controllable during flight and which could return to its starting point.[2]
Although a choice residential district, access to the railway (RER) and the Seine river have made Meudon a manufacturing center since the 1840s. Metal products and military explosives have been continuously produced there since then.
In addition to the Observatory, what is today ONERA, a national aerospace research institute and wind tunnel has been present since the military opened its aerostatic (lighter-than-air) field in the Chalais park in 1877. From 1921 to 1981 the Air Museum was located here until it moved to Le Bourget Airport.
CNRS has a campus in Bellevue.
Meudon is well served by public transport operated jointly by the SNCF and the RATP.
Meudon is served by line C of the RER by Meudon – Val Fleury station.
Meudon is also served by the Transilien Line N through Meudon station and Bellevue station.
The T2 tramway line links Pont de Bezons station to Porte de Versailles station. It stops by La Défense. Meudon is served by Brimborion and Meudon-sur-Seine stations.
The T6 tramway line runs from Châtillon to Viroflay. Meudon is served by Georges Millandy and Meudon la Forêt stations.
Meudon is served by twelve lines of the RATP bus network, that have numerous stops in the city:
The area was once served by the Bellevue funicular, a model of which is in the local Museum of Art and History.
Public schools:
Private schools:
See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France. Meudon is twinned with:[8]
Brezno, Slovakia
Ciechanów, Poland
Mazkeret Batia, Israel
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, BelgiumThe Imperial Cedar (French: Cèdre Impérial), attracted the attention of Empress Eugénie and Queen Victoria.[9] As of March 2021, the tree is in good condition, but it is threatened by real estate speculation. Another real estate project is planned for the historic park of the Napoleon III villa built by Charles Schacher. Both projects are controversial and have aroused local opposition.