Montrouge () is a

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 southern Parisian suburbs, located from the centre of

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 ...

. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. After a long period of decline, the population has increased again in recent years.

History

The name "Montrouge" means Red Mountain - from ''mont'' (mountain) and ''rouge'' (red) - because of the reddish colour of the earth in this area. The name of the community was first mentioned in monastery documents in 1194. Throughout the Middle Ages, the hamlet was home to monasteries and a number of religious orders, while in the 15th century it became the site of quarries used for the reconstruction of Paris. The late sixteenth century saw the plain of Montrouge named "reserve for royal hunts", and during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries it was known for its

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called sails or blades, specifically to mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and other applications, in some ...

s, which have all now disappeared. On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighbouring communes. On that occasion, most of the commune of Montrouge was annexed to Paris, forming what is now called

Petit-Montrouge The quartier du Petit-Montrouge is number 55 of the 80 ''quartiers administratifs'' (administrative districts) in Paris. It lies in the 14th Arrondissement, in the south of the capital. It owes its name to the adjacent commune of Montrouge, of whi ...

, in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. The remainder of Montrouge was preserved as an independent town. In 1875, the town gained a few thousand square metres from the neighbouring communes of Châtillon and Bagneux (principally in the neighbourhood (''le quartier'') called Haut Mesnil). On 8 January 2015,

Municipal Police Municipal police, city police, or local police are law enforcement agencies that are under the control of local government. This includes the municipal government, where it is the smallest administrative subdivision. They receive funding ...

officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe was shot and killed in the commune, purportedly by

Amedy Coulibaly Amedy Coulibaly (; 27 February 1982 – 9 January 2015) was a Malian-French man who was the prime suspect in the Montrouge shooting, in which municipal police officer Clarissa Jean-Philippe was shot and killed, and was the hostage-taker and gu ...

. Coulibaly was reported to be an accomplice of Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, the suspected perpetrators of the ''Charlie Hebdo'' shooting. The next day, he was gunned down by police during a siege that left four hostages dead and several other people injured.

Population

Economy

Industrial development started in 1925 and soon, many printing factories were to be found in the town. Most of these have disappeared today. Since the early years of the twenty-first century, professional services and telecommunications have been the main business activities. * Aeronautical and electronic engineering, Alstom, Schlumberger,

Siemens AG Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...

ST Microelectronics STMicroelectronics N.V. commonly referred as ST or STMicro is a Dutch multinational corporation and technology company of French-Italian origin headquartered in Plan-les-Ouates near Geneva, Switzerland and listed on the French stock market. ST ...

* Banking, Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank * Telecommunications,

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

* The

Papier d'Arménie Armenian paper is a type of incense that has been produced for centuries. The paper is infused with essences, fragrances or essential oils in order to achieve a perfuming or cleansing effect. Examples of Armenian paper include Papier d'Armén ...

(lit. Armenian Paper)

Public transport

Montrouge is served by Mairie de Montrouge and Barbara stations on

Paris Métro Line 4 Line 4 () is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system. Situated mostly within the boundaries of the City of Paris, it connects Porte de Clignancourt in the north and Bagneux-Lucie Aubrac in the south, travelling acros ...

, and by Châtillon – Montrouge station on

Paris Métro Line 13 Paris Métro Line 13 (opened as Line B; French: ''Ligne 13 du métro de Paris'') is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro. It was built by the Nord-Sud Company before becoming Line 13 when the Nord-Sud was merged into the Compagnie du ch ...

. The Châtillon - Montrouge station is located at the border between the commune of Montrouge and the commune of Châtillon, on the Châtillon side of the border. The Barbara station is located at the border between the commune of Montrouge and the commune of Bagneux. The Mairie de Montrouge station opened in March 2013, with the further extension of Line 4 opening to Bagneux–Lucie Aubrac in January 2022. Bus line 68 runs from Metro Châtillon Montrouge all the way up through

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse has bee ...

, the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...

, the Paris Opera and ends at the Place de Clichy, the site of the

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Ol ...

. Bus line 126 runs from

Porte d'Orléans The Porte d'Orléans is one of 17 ''portes'' (city gates of Paris) in the Thiers wall, a defensive wall constructed in the mid-nineteenth century to protect Paris. The wall was demolished after the First World War, creating an open space that wa ...

to Boulogne-Billancourt, while line 128 goes from the same place to Robinson RER station. Bus line 323 runs on the southern border of Montrouge on its way between

Issy-les-Moulineaux Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called ''Isséens'' in French. It is one of Paris' entrances and is located from Notre-Dame Cat ...

and

Ivry-sur-Seine Ivry-sur-Seine () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Paris's main Asian district, the Quartier Asiatique in the 13th arrondissement, borders the ...

. Several lines (187, 188, 197, 297) use the

Route nationale 20 The Route nationale 20 (N20) is a trunk road ( nationale) between Paris and the frontier with Spain heading south through the heart of France and passing through the Cathedral City of Orléans and Toulouse. The road forks at ''Col de Puymorens'' ...

that crosses eastern Montrouge to reach southern parts of the Parisian agglomeration.

The Arts in Montrouge

Montrouge was the home of a number of well-known twentieth century artists, listed below. Currently the town is also well known for two contemporary art exhibitions: *The Montrouge Contemporary Art Show, which has existed for over 50 years *The JCE, that is European Young Artists exhibition.

Education

Montrouge has seven public primary schools: Aristide Briand, Buffalo, François Rabelais, Nicolas Boileau, Raymond Queneau, Renaudel A, and Renaudel B.Les écoles du primaire
" Montrouge. Retrieved on September 7, 2016. Public junior high schools: Haut Mesnil, Maurice Genevoix, Robert Doisneau.
" Montrouge. Retrieved on September 7, 2016. Public high schools: Lycée Jean Monnet, Lycée Maurice Genevoix. There is a private secondary school, Groupe Scolaire du Haut-Mesnil.

Notable people

Escalier du Beffroi de Montrouge, France

Émile Boutroux Étienne Émile Marie Boutroux (; 28 July 1845 – 22 November 1921) was an eminent 19th-century French philosopher of science and religion, and a historian of philosophy. He was a firm opponent of materialism in science. He was a spiritual p ...

(1845–1921), philosopher and member of the Académie française *

Robert Brasillach Robert Brasillach (; 31 March 1909 – 6 February 1945) was a French author and journalist. Brasillach was the editor of '' Je suis partout'', a nationalist newspaper which advocated fascist movements and supported Jacques Doriot. After the libera ...

(1909–1945) French author and journalist. *

Émile Chatelain Émile Chatelain (25 November 1851 – 26 November 1933) was a French Latinist and palaeographer. Biography A member of the École française de Rome (1876–1877), collaborator of Henri Denifle for the ''Chartularium'', curator of the Bibl ...

(1851–1933), Latinist and palaeographer *

Coluche Michel Gérard Joseph Colucci (, ; 28 October 1944 – 19 June 1986), better known under his stage name Coluche (), was a French stage comedian and cinema actor. He adopted ''Coluche'' as a stage name at age 26, when he began his entertainment ca ...

(b. 1944 in Paris–1986) (Michel Collucci), comedian and sometime political figure, founder of the " Restos du cœur" soup kitchens. *

Robert Doisneau Robert Doisneau (; 14 April 1912 – 1 April 1994) was a French photographer. From the 1930s, he photographed the streets of Paris. He was a champion of humanist photography and with Henri Cartier-Bresson a pioneer of photojournalism. Dois ...

(1912–1994), photographer, born in Gentilly, lived in Montrouge from 1937 until his death. * Raymond Federman (1928-2009) American novelist and academic. *

Jean-Jacques Goldman Jean-Jacques Goldman (; born 11 October 1951) is a French singer-songwriter and music record producer. He is hugely popular in the French-speaking world. Since the death of Johnny Hallyday in 2017 he has been the highest grossing living French p ...

(b. 1951), lyricist and singer, he has lived most of his life in Montrouge, but now resides in

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

. *

William Grover-Williams William Charles Frederick Grover-Williams (born William Charles Frederick Grover, 16 January 1903 – 18 March 1945 (or shortly thereafter)), also known as "W Williams", was a British Grand Prix motor racing driver and special agent who worked ...

(1903–1945), racing driver and

Special Operations Executive The Special Operations Executive (SOE) was a secret British World War II organisation. It was officially formed on 22 July 1940 under Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton, from the amalgamation of three existing secret organisations. Its pu ...

agent. *

Octave Lapize Octave Lapize (; 24 October 1887 – 14 July 1917) was a French professional road racing cyclist and track cyclist. Most famous for winning the 1910 Tour de France and a bronze medal at the 1908 Summer Olympics in the men's 100 kilometres ...

(1887–1917), winner of the 1910

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

* Fernand Léger (1881-1955) lived in Montrouge and ran a painting school there. *

Pablo Picasso Pablo Ruiz Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist and Scenic design, theatre designer who spent most of his adult life in France. One of the most influential artists of the 20th ce ...

(1881–1973), the cubist, had his workshop in Montrouge from 1916 to 1918. *

Bernard Pivot Bernard Pivot (; born 5 May 1935) is a French journalist, interviewer and host of cultural television programmes. He was chairman of the Académie Goncourt from 2014 to 2020. Biography Pivot was born in Lyon, the son of two grocers. During Worl ...

(b. 1935), journalist and television personality. Born in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, third-largest city and Urban area (France), second-largest metropolitan area of F ...

, Mr. Pivot has lived in Montrouge since 2003. *

Claude Sautet Claude Sautet (23 February 1924 – 22 July 2000) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was a chronicler of post-war French society. He made a total of five films with his favorite actress Romy Schneider. Biography Born in Montrou ...

(1924–2000), director and screenwriter. *

Nicolas de Staël Nicolas de Staël (; January 5, 1914 – March 16, 1955) was a French painter of Russian origin known for his use of a thick impasto and his highly abstract landscape painting. He also worked with collage, illustration and textiles. Early life ...

(1914–55) is buried in Montrouge Cemetery.

Personalities associated with the commune

* Amaury-Duval (1808-1885) a student of Ingres including ''Portrait d'Isaure Chassériau'' in 1838 *

Harry Baur Harry Baur (12 April 1880 – 8 April 1943) was a French actor. Initially a stage actor, Baur appeared in about 80 films between 1909 and 1942. He gave an acclaimed performance as the composer Ludwig van Beethoven in the biopic ''Beethoven's Gr ...

, Montrouge 1880 – Paris 1943, actor * Edouard Boubat, (1923-30 June 1999 in Montrouge), photographer * Alexandre Boutique (1851-1923), novelist *

(1845-1921), philosopher and member of the Académie française. *

Gérard Brach Gérard Brach (23 July 1927 – 9 September 2006) was a French screenwriter best known for his collaborations with the film directors Roman Polanski and Jean-Jacques Annaud. He directed two movies: ''La Maison'' and ''The Boat on the Grass''. ...

(23 July 1927 in Montrouge - 9 September 2006 in Paris), screenwriter *

Jean-Roger Caussimon Jean-Roger Caussimon (24 July 1918 – 19 October 1985) was a French singer-songwriter and film actor. He appeared in 90 films between 1945 and 1985 but is better known for having worked with poet-singer Léo Ferré. Discography Studio albu ...

24 July 1918 in Montrouge - 20 October 1985 in Paris, actor, poet, and libertarian songwriter. *

Pierre Collet Pierre Collet (10 March 1914 – 30 October 1977) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 100 films and television shows between 1943 and 1977. Selected filmography * ''Goodbye Leonard'' (1943) - Le marchand d'habits (uncredite ...

(1914 Montrouge, 1977 in Paris), actor *

Pierre Colombier Pierre Colombier (1896–1958) was a French screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography Director * '' The Marriage of Rosine'' (1926) * '' His Best Client'' (1932) * ''Charlemagne'' (1933) * '' School for Coquettes'' (1935) * '' La Marrai ...

, film director, died 25 January 1958. * Michel Colucci (

) (1944-1986), humorist. Born in Paris, spent his youth in the city. * Jean-Claude Deret (1921-), né Breitman, author, screenwriter, actor, director *

(1912-1994), photographer. Born in Gentilly, settled in Montrouge in 1937 *

Jacques Dynam Jacques Dynam (30 December 1923 – 12 November 2004) was a French film actor. He appeared in more than 150 films between 1942 and 2004, among which the ''Fantomas'' saga. Selected filmography * ''La symphonie fantastique'' (1942) - (uncre ...

(30 December 1923 in Montrouge - 11 November 2004 in Paris), real name Jacques Barbé, actor * Raymond Federman (1928-2009), American writer, born in Montrouge *

Carole Gaessler Carole Gaessler (born 23 February 1968) is a French television journalist. Since September 2010 she has presented the Monday to Thursday editions of ''19/20'', the main evening news bulletin of France 3. Biography After a preparatory literature ...

, journalist for

France 2 France 2 () is a French public national television channel. It is part of the state-owned France Télévisions group, along with France 3, France 4 and France 5. France Télévisions also participates in Arte and Euronews. Since 3:20 CET on 7 A ...

and

France 5 France 5 () is a French free-to-air public television channel, part of the France Télévisions group. Principally featuring educational programming, the channel's motto is ''la chaîne de la connaissance et du savoir'' (the knowledge network). ...

Théophile Gautier Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier ( , ; 30 August 1811 – 23 October 1872) was a French poet, dramatist, novelist, journalist, and art and literary critic. While an ardent defender of Romanticism, Gautier's work is difficult to classify and rema ...

is supposed to have lived on avenue Verdier * Jean Giraud (Moebius) (1938-2012), cartoonist and scenarist *

, (1951- ), songwriter and singer. Born in Paris, lives now in Marseille * Piotr Kowalski (1927-2004) *

(1887-1917), cyclist *

Virginie Ledoyen Virginie Fernández (born 15 November 1976), known by her stage name Virginie Ledoyen (), is a French actress who has appeared in French, British and American films. Life and career Ledoyen was born in Aubervilliers, the daughter of Olga, a res ...

, actress living in Montrouge since 2003 * René Metge, (23 October 1941 in Montrouge *

Ariane Mnouchkine Ariane Mnouchkine (; born 3 March 1939) is a French stage director. She founded the Parisian avant-garde stage ensemble ''Théâtre du Soleil'' in 1964. She wrote and directed ''1789'' (1974) and ''Molière'' (1978), and directed ''La Nuit Mirac ...

, theatre director, lives in Montrouge. *

(1881-1973), lived at 22 rue Victor Hugo in 1916 * Jules Pillevesse (1837–1903), composer and conductor died in the commune *

(1935-), journalist. Born in

, lived in the city from 2003 to 2007. * Raoul Pugno (1852-1914), born in Montrouge, composer and pianist * François Roy, actor and film score composer *

(1924-2000), screenwriter and film director born in Montrouge * Évelyne Sullerot (1924-2017), famous for her feminist militantism *

Valentine Tessier Valentine Tessier (5 August 1892 – 11 August 1981) was a French actress who appeared in around thirty films during her career. She played the title role in Jean Renoir's 1934 film version of ''Madame Bovary''.Donaldson-Evans p.193 Selected fi ...

(1892- 1981), actress, spent her youth in Montrouge * Atiq Rahimi,

prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt (french: Le prix Goncourt, , ''The Goncourt Prize'') is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward o ...

2008, lives in Montrouge

Others

Fort de Montrouge A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, one of the 16 forts built around Paris in the 1840s, located mainly in the commune of

Arcueil Arcueil () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Name The name Arcueil was recorded for the first time in 1119 as ''Arcoloï'', and later in the 12th ...

References

External links

Montrouge official website
{{Authority control Communes of Hauts-de-Seine