commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the department of
Essonne
Essonne () is a department of France in the southern Île-de-France region. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659 across 194 communes.Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
Hove
Hove is a seaside resort and one of the two main parts of the city of Brighton and Hove, along with Brighton in East Sussex, England. Originally a "small but ancient fishing village" surrounded by open farmland, it grew rapidly in the 19th c ...
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
.
With a score of 7.16/10, Draveil ranks 49th among the 100 best French towns with a population of over 20,000 inhabitants. This result is a survey conducted permanently among the French population and takes into account the following factors : environment, security, medical facilities, cultural events, sports, shops and transport.
Geography
Draveil is situated between the right bank of the Seine and the
Forest of Sénart
The Forest of Sénart (french: Forêt de Sénart, ) is located in the French department of Essonne. It covers 3,000 hectares in area, this forest is very important to the local population. The local government has kept roads and agricultural com ...
which gives the whole town a very green environment. In fact, the official motto of the town in Latin is "Inter undas et arbores", which can be translated into English as "between water and trees", a reference to its location between the Seine and the
Forest of Sénart
The Forest of Sénart (french: Forêt de Sénart, ) is located in the French department of Essonne. It covers 3,000 hectares in area, this forest is very important to the local population. The local government has kept roads and agricultural com ...
. Hardly a third of Draveil's area has been developed, thus offering a preserved environment to its inhabitants. Draveil also hosts a large green park called the "Base de loisirs du Port-aux-Cerises" that covers over 175 hectares including trees, lakes and activity areas including a horse-riding club, an amusement park for children, an open-air swimming-pool, football field, tennis courts, acrobranche rope park, a small marina with berthing space for about thirty boats, etc.
Draveil consists of the main town Draveil, the former villages Champrosay and Mainville, and several newer housing developments. Champrosay was home to several artists in the 19th and early 20th century, including painters
Marie Laurencin
Marie Laurencin (31 October 1883 – 8 June 1956) was a French painter and printmaker. She became an important figure in the Parisian avant-garde as a member of the Cubists associated with the Section d'Or.
Biography
Laurencin was born in Paris ...
and
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...
and writer
Alphonse Daudet
Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet.
Early life
Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ...
.
History
Human presence in Draveil during the Neolithic period is suggested by the discovery of a menhir called the "Pierre à Mousseaux" dating from the fourth millennium BC and confirmed by the presence of tools and weapons in flint cut found in the Mainville quarter of Draveil. The Gauls named the place Dracvern meaning "the spirit of the Alder". The Romans called it Dravernum. In the Merovingian period a money minting facility was installed here, which minted one-third of a gold sol called "Draverno".
Population
Inhabitants of Draveil are known as ''Draveillois''.
Administration
Draveil is part of the
arrondissement of Évry
The arrondissement of Évry is an arrondissement of France in the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region. It has 51 communes. Its population is 539,918 (2019), and its area is .
Composition
The communes of the arrondissement of Évry, a ...
The town has eight preschools
* Ecole école Champrosay
* Ecole maternelle Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
* Ecole maternelle Hameau de Mainville
* Ecole maternelle Jean Jaurès
* Ecole maternelle Jules Ferry
* Ecole maternelle Le belvédère
* Ecole maternelle Le Parc de Villiers
* Ecole maternelle Pierre Brossolette
It also has ten primary schools
* Ecole école Champrosay
* Ecole élémentaire Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
* Ecole élémentaire Hameau de Mainville
* Ecole élémentaire Jean Jaurès
* Ecole élémentaire Jules Ferry
* Ecole élémentaire L Orme des Mazières
* Ecole élémentaire Le belvédère
* Ecole élémentaire Le Parc de Villiers
* Ecole primaire privée Notre-Dame (private)
There are three middle schools:
* Alphonse Daudet
* Eugène Delacroix and
* Notre Dame (private).
Draveil has one professional high school named "Lycée Nadar".
High schools around Draveil are either public like Lycée Rosa Parks in Montgéron.
There are three respected private institutions around Draveil:
* Institut de Saint Pierre in Brunoy
* Lycée Notre Dame de Sion in Évry and
* Lycée Saint Louis Saint Clément in Viry-Châtillon.
These private schools have a merit-based entrance scheme, have European curriculum, teach languages such as Chinese, etc.
Facilities for children
The infant department at the Mairie supervises a wide-range of day-care centres namely a family crèche, collective crèches like L’Île-aux-Bambins and Pomme-de-Rainette, parent-run day-care centres like crèche Tétine et Doudou and two other day-care centres "Mazières" and "Villiers" that offer à la carte hours.
During school vacations, children are offered activities in "centres de loisirs" organised in the school premises in Villiers, Mazières, Jean-Jaurès, Brossolette, Belvédère, Champrosay, Jules-Ferry, Mainville, Saint-Exupéry and Pierre et Marie-Curie. Besides, the Mairie also organises a sports-oriented programme for kids between 8 and 14 called "Totalement sport".
Sports
A wide range of sports facilities are available at the "Base de loisirs du Port-aux-Cerises" namely, canoëing, kayaking, sailing, football field, tennis courts, minigolf, skatepark and horse-riding.
A rowing club and a yachting club are based on the banks of the Seine. Two other swimming pools (Caneton and Mainville) that offer different activities like aquagym are also available.
In the Bergeries quarter of the town, the COSEC Ferdinand-Buisson offers facilities for handball, table-tennis, badminton, gymnastics and martial arts. Other sports complex around the town organise activities such as volleyball, tennis, athletics, basketball, boxing, roller-blading, etc.
Health
A survey in 2010 found that there were thirty-eight doctors (general practitioners and specialists), fourteen dental surgeons, eleven pharmacists, etc.
Public transport
Many buses ply between many areas in Draveil round-the-clock on a regular basis. Fares for the buses are included in the
Navigo pass
The Navigo card (french: links=yes, Carte Navigo), formerly called the Navigo pass, is a means of payment for public transportation introduced on 1 October 2001 in the City of Paris and Île-de-France region. It is implemented as a contactless s ...
. Buses from Draveil also serve
Juvisy
Juvisy-sur-Orge (, literally ''Juvisy on Orge'') is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located 18 km south-east of Paris, a few kilometres south of Orly Airport.
The site of the town has been o ...
,
Orly Airport
Paris Orly Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Orly), commonly referred to as Orly , is one of two international airports serving the French capital, Paris, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly ...
, Rungis International Market and other neighbouring towns.
Draveil is not directly linked to the Paris Métro network. This is a result of a decision taken by the local authorities in order to keep land developers at bay and preserve the town's provincial charm.
The Paris metro network can be reached from
Juvisy
Juvisy-sur-Orge (, literally ''Juvisy on Orge'') is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located 18 km south-east of Paris, a few kilometres south of Orly Airport.
The site of the town has been o ...
station, which is across the Seine.
Juvisy
Juvisy-sur-Orge (, literally ''Juvisy on Orge'') is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located 18 km south-east of Paris, a few kilometres south of Orly Airport.
The site of the town has been o ...
station has two RER lines to reach the centre of Paris within 15 minutes:
RER line C
RER C is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from north to south.
The li ...
and RER line D. This station is located in the neighboring commune of
Juvisy-sur-Orge
Juvisy-sur-Orge (, literally ''Juvisy on Orge'') is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located 18 km south-east of Paris, a few kilometres south of Orly Airport.
The site of the town has been oc ...
, from the town center of Draveil.
Famous inhabitants
A list of famous people who were either born or lived in Draveil include :
*
Eugène Delacroix
Ferdinand Victor Eugène Delacroix ( , ; 26 April 1798 – 13 August 1863) was a French Romantic artist regarded from the outset of his career as the leader of the French Romantic school.Noon, Patrick, et al., ''Crossing the Channel: Britis ...
, painter
*
Ivan Turgenev
Ivan Sergeyevich Turgenev (; rus, links=no, Ива́н Серге́евич Турге́невIn Turgenev's day, his name was written ., p=ɪˈvan sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ tʊrˈɡʲenʲɪf; 9 November 1818 – 3 September 1883 (Old Style dat ...
Edmond de Goncourt
Edmond Louis Antoine Huot de Goncourt (; 26 May 182216 July 1896) was a French writer, literary critic, art critic, book publisher and the founder of the Académie Goncourt.
Biography
Goncourt was born in Nancy. His parents, Marc-Pierre Huot d ...
Alphonse Daudet
Alphonse Daudet (; 13 May 184016 December 1897) was a French novelist. He was the husband of Julia Daudet and father of Edmée, Léon and Lucien Daudet.
Early life
Daudet was born in Nîmes, France. His family, on both sides, belonged to the ...
, writer
*
Marie Laurencin
Marie Laurencin (31 October 1883 – 8 June 1956) was a French painter and printmaker. She became an important figure in the Parisian avant-garde as a member of the Cubists associated with the Section d'Or.
Biography
Laurencin was born in Paris ...
Paul Lafargue
Paul Lafargue (; 15 January 1842 – 25 November 1911) was a Cuban- Haitian revolutionary Marxist socialist, political writer, economist, journalist, literary critic, and activist; he was Karl Marx's son-in-law having married his second dau ...
, Marxist political writer/activist
* Joffrey Torvic, footballer
Gallery
File:Château des Bergeries à Draveil.JPG, The Château des Bergeries
File:Pierre-Auguste Renoir - La Seine à Champrosay.jpg, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, ''La Seine à Champrosay'' (1876)''La Seine à Champrosay'' Musée d'Orsay