Guyancourt
Encyclopedia
Guyancourt is a commune
in the Yvelines
department in the Île-de-France
region
in north-central France
. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris
21.2 km (13.2 mi) from the center
, in the "new town" of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
.
The first of them, corresponding to the old village, is known as
"le village", the others are named:
Although located in the Paris
suburbs (in an Anglo-Saxon conception of suburbs), more than half of the territory of the commune of Guyancourt is covered in natural spaces: forests, wood, parks, gardens and ponds.
tribes who left hundreds of vestiges such as arrows, flint scrapers, polished axes... which have been recovered in the districts of Bouviers, Troux and Villaroy.
put the date of the sarcophages at the Merovingian era (from the seventh century). It is believed that the construction of the first church dates from the fourteenth century. Several funerary vases and a tomb stone
dating from the sixteenth century were updated. The church was renovated in the fifteenth century, then entirely rebuilt in the sixteenth century. The most recent restoration goes back to 1998.
armies. The enemy spreads terror, the houses are plundered, the inhabitants maltreated. Four hundred of them (an enormous figure for the time) prefer to flee.
s around Paris, one of which being Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
. The new city of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines includes today seven communes (eleven in the beginning), one of which is Guyancourt. In 1950 Guyancourt was only one small village. The commune grew since 1970 to reach the figure of 27,000 inhabitants in 2004.
with: Linlithgow
, Scotland
, United Kingdom
, the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots Pegnitz
, Germany
, on the Transilien La Défense
suburban rail line, and on the Transilien Paris – Montparnasse
suburban rail line. This station is located in the neighboring commune of Montigny-le-Bretonneux
, 2.7 km (1.7 mi) from the town center of Guyancourt.
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 Yvelines
Yvelines
Yvelines is a French department in the region of Île-de-France.-History:Yvelines was created from the western part of the defunct department of Seine-et-Oise on 1 January 1968 in accordance with a law passed on 10 January 1964 and a décret d'application from 26 February 1965.It gained the...
department in the 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....
region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
in north-central 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 in the south-western 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...
21.2 km (13.2 mi) from the center
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 "new town" of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is a new town in the French département of Yvelines. It is one of the original five villes nouvelles of Paris and was named after the Saint Quentin Pond, which was chosen to become the town's centre. The town was built from a greenfield site starting in the 1960s. In...
.
Geography
The commune of Guyancourt comprises several districts.The first of them, corresponding to the old village, is known as
"le village", the others are named:
- Bouviers (Herdsmen), ancient hamletHamletThe Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
of the village - Les Garennes (the warrenWarren (free)Free warren—often simply warren—refers to a type of franchise or privilege conveyed by a sovereign in mediaeval England to a subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game of certain species within a stipulated area, usually a wood or small forest...
s) - L'Europe (Europe)
- Le Pont du Routoir (the bridge over the retting pit)
- Les Saules (the Willows)
- Le Parc (the Park)
- Les Chênes (the Oaks)
- Villaroy (the recently constructed districts of the city)
Although located in the 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...
suburbs (in an Anglo-Saxon conception of suburbs), more than half of the territory of the commune of Guyancourt is covered in natural spaces: forests, wood, parks, gardens and ponds.
Prehistoric
The site of the city was already inhabited by NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
tribes who left hundreds of vestiges such as arrows, flint scrapers, polished axes... which have been recovered in the districts of Bouviers, Troux and Villaroy.
Antiquity
The civilization continued through Roman times, as Mr. Leclère, a farmer, demonstrated in a fortuitous way in 1892 by unearthing an antique ballot box in his field.The religious life
Work to restore the church Saint-VictorSaint-Victor
Saint-Victor may refer to:* Paul Bins, comte de Saint-Victor , French authorIt is also the name or part of the name of several communes in France:*Saint-Victor, Allier, in the Allier département...
put the date of the sarcophages at the Merovingian era (from the seventh century). It is believed that the construction of the first church dates from the fourteenth century. Several funerary vases and a tomb stone
dating from the sixteenth century were updated. The church was renovated in the fifteenth century, then entirely rebuilt in the sixteenth century. The most recent restoration goes back to 1998.
Guyancourt and the Palace of Versailles
Guyancourt forms part of the "Grand Parc" of the sun king Soleil (Louis XIV), which extended around the castle of Versailles. The essential vocation of the populous communes neighbouring the castle is market-gardening, to provide for the important needs for the Court.French revolution
Thanks to the register of grievances sent to the governmental authorities (1789), we know that Guyancourtois, who were mostly modest peasants, lived with difficulty under conditions of famine.The Franco-Prussian War of 1870
France is partly occupied by the PrussianKingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia was a German kingdom from 1701 to 1918. Until the defeat of Germany in World War I, it comprised almost two-thirds of the area of the German Empire...
armies. The enemy spreads terror, the houses are plundered, the inhabitants maltreated. Four hundred of them (an enormous figure for the time) prefer to flee.
The 1900s
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Guyancourt was a large village where one cultivates corn, oats, beets, fodder and potatoes. The trades were numerous, with almost 16 wine merchants for 614 inhabitants.Second World war
The war of 1939–1945 also touched Guyancourt, which was liberated by August 25, 1944.The end of the twentieth century
Starting from the beginning of the 1950s, the Paris area saw a considerable demographic growth. To structure the development of the suburbs, it was decided to create several new townNew town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
s around Paris, one of which being Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is a new town in the French département of Yvelines. It is one of the original five villes nouvelles of Paris and was named after the Saint Quentin Pond, which was chosen to become the town's centre. The town was built from a greenfield site starting in the 1960s. In...
. The new city of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines includes today seven communes (eleven in the beginning), one of which is Guyancourt. In 1950 Guyancourt was only one small village. The commune grew since 1970 to reach the figure of 27,000 inhabitants in 2004.
Twin towns — Sister cities
Guyancourt is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Linlithgow
Linlithgow
Linlithgow is a Royal Burgh in West Lothian, Scotland. An ancient town, it lies south of its two most prominent landmarks: Linlithgow Palace and Linlithgow Loch, and north of the Union Canal....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots Pegnitz
Pegnitz
Pegnitz may refer to:* The Pegnitz in Germany* Pegnitz, a town in Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
People
- Roland Nadaus: Poet, writer, lampoonist, storyteller, lyric writer, novelist, local councillor and départemental. The author of about thirty works, he also assumed several mandates of mayor, advising general, and President of the urban community (then called the SAN, trade union of new agglomeration).
Industrial fabric
Guyancourt accommodates not only many SME and trade, but also several large companies, such as:- Le Technocentre RenaultRenaultRenault S.A. is a French automaker producing cars, vans, and in the past, autorail vehicles, trucks, tractors, vans and also buses/coaches. Its alliance with Nissan makes it the world's third largest automaker...
(automobile) - The registered office of BouyguesBouyguesBouygues S.A. is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and since 1989 has been led by his son Martin...
(construction) - The national case of Crédit AgricoleCrédit AgricoleCrédit Agricole S.A. is the largest retail banking group in France, second largest in Europe and the eighth largest in the world by Tier 1 capital according to The Banker magazine. It is also part of the CAC 40 stock market index....
- The registered office of McDonald's, FranceFranceThe 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...
- Prost Grand PrixProst Grand PrixProst Grand Prix was a Formula One racing team managed by former world champion Alain Prost. The team participated in five seasons from 1997 to 2001.-Purchase of Ligier:...
(closed now).
Higher education and research
- Guyancourt is home to a campus of the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin. The buildings located in the commune relate to the lessons on human rights and the social sciences.
- One also finds there research laboratories of the INRAInstitut National de la Recherche AgronomiqueThe Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique is a French public research institute dedicated to scientific studies surrounding the problems of agriculture...
(National Institute of Agronomic Research)
Transportation
Guyancourt is served by no station of the Paris Métro, RER, or suburban rail network. The closest station to Guyancourt is Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines station on Paris RER line CRER C
The RER C is one of the five lines in the RER rapid transit system serving :Paris, France. It is operated by SNCF.The line runs from the northwestern terminuses Pontoise , Versailles – Rive Gauche and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to the southeastern terminuses Massy-Palaiseau , Dourdan-la-Forêt , ...
, on the Transilien La Défense
Transilien La Défense
Transilien La Défense is one of the sectors in the Paris Transilien suburban rail network. The trains on this sector depart from La Défense station in Paris's business district of La Défense. Transilien service from La Défense is part of the SNCF Saint-Lazare rail network. Service consists of one...
suburban rail line, and on the Transilien Paris – Montparnasse
Transilien Paris – Montparnasse
Transilien Paris – Montparnasse is one of the sectors in the Paris Transilien suburban rail network. The trains on this sector depart from Gare Montparnasse in the southwestern part of Paris. There are three lines in this sector , leading to Rambouillet, Dreux and Mantes-la-Jolie...
suburban rail line. This station is located in the neighboring commune of Montigny-le-Bretonneux
Montigny-le-Bretonneux
Montigny-le-Bretonneux is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris from the center, in the "new town" of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, of which it is the central and most populated...
, 2.7 km (1.7 mi) from the town center of Guyancourt.