Bry-sur-Marne (, literally ''Bry on Marne'') 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

Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a p ...

department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The commune of Bry-sur-Marne is part of the sector of Porte de Paris, one of the four sectors of the " new town" of

Marne-la-Vallée Marne-la-Vallée () is a new town located near Paris, France. Disneyland Paris, Walt Disney Studios Park, Val d'Europe, Université Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallée, ESIEE Paris, and École des Ponts ParisTech are located in Marne-la-Vallée. St ...

History

Prehistory and early history

Bry's name comes from the Celtic word ''Briw'', which means a bridge or a river crossing. The area has been inhabited since

Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

times. The town's motto, which features on its coat of arms, is "''Moult viel que Paris''" - old French for "Much older than Paris". In 1903,

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

Adrien Mentienne uncovered the bones of a large

bovine Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including cattle, bison, African buffalo, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The evolutionary relationship betwe ...

which died 15,000 years ago. In 1982, the skeleton of a woman who died in the 5th century BC was uncovered beneath the playground of a school in Bry. It is now housed in the town'
museum
From that century onwards, there was a permanent human presence where Bry now stands. In 1886, a necropolis was found which contained

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and ...

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

and

Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...

ish weaponry, silver and gold jewelry, and coins, dating from the

era to the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

. The first known written mention of the town named Bry was in a charter signed by King

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ...

in 861. The first church was built in 1130.

From the feudal era to modern times

In 1404, Robert de Châtillon, cousin of King Charles VI, was Bry's feudal lord. His castle no longer stands, and its exact location is uncertain. Bry's current ''château'' was built in the 1690s. It became the town hall in 1866. It was rebuilt after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. The

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

came to Bry in 1926, followed by the

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...

(1970) and the RER (1977). The town's hospital was built in 1936.

Population

Education

The commune has one public preschool, Maternelle

Jules Ferry Jules François Camille Ferry (; 5 April 183217 March 1893) was a French statesman and republican philosopher. He was one of the leaders of the Moderate Republicans and served as Prime Minister of France from 1880 to 1881 and 1883 to 1885. He ...

; three combined public preschools and elementary schools, La Pépinière, Paul Barilliet, and Louis Daguerre; as well as one public elementary school, Henri Cahn.Les écoles
" Bry-sur-Marne. Retrieved on September 3, 2016. The commune has a public junior high school, Collège Henri Cahn. The commune also has a private elementary through junior high school, Institut Saint Thomas de Villeneuve. There are multiple public senior high schools in surrounding communes: * Lycée Louis Armand (

Nogent-sur-Marne Nogent-sur-Marne () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Nogent-sur-Marne is a '' sous-préfecture'' of the Val-de-Marne ''département'', being the seat of the Arrondissement of Nogent-s ...

) * Lycée Hector Berlioz (

Vincennes Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attache ...

) * Lycée Edouard Branly (Nogent-sur-Marne) * Lycée Paul Doumer (

Le Perreux-sur-Marne Le Perreux-sur-Marne (, literally ''Le Perreux on Marne'') is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. History The commune of Le Perreux-sur-Marne was created on ...

) * Lycée Évariste Galois (

Noisy-le-Grand Noisy-le-Grand () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The commune of Noisy-le-Grand is part of the sector of Porte de Paris, one of the four sectors of the "new town" of Marne-la-Vallée ...

) * Lycée Pablo Picasso (

Fontenay-sous-Bois Fontenay-sous-Bois () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Name The name Fontenay was recorded in the Middle Ages as ''Fontanetum'', meaning "the springs", from Medieval Latin ''fonta ...

)

Personalities

*Photographer

Louis Daguerre Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre ( , ; 18 November 1787 – 10 July 1851) was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the eponymous daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photog ...

died in Bry-sur-Marne in 1851 and a monument marks his grave there. * Laurel Zuckerman, author *

Hervé Bazin Hervé Bazin (; 17 April 191117 February 1996) was a French writer, whose best-known novels covered semi-autobiographical topics of teenage rebellion and dysfunctional families. Biography Bazin, born Jean-Pierre Hervé-Bazin in Angers, Maine- ...

, author

Daguerre's diorama

Bry's most treasured artwork is a diorama painted by

. The painting changes as each day wears on, mimicking daylight and night-time; the painted candlesticks light up at night. It is kept in the local church.

Transport

Bry-sur-Marne is served by Bry-sur-Marne station on Paris RER line A.

International relations

The town has been twinned with Sawbridgeworth in Hertfordshire, England and Moosburg an der Isar in Germany since 1973.

Organisations

The ''

Institut national de l'audiovisuel The (abbrev. INA), () is a repository of all French radio and television audiovisual archives. Additionally it provides free access to archives of countries such as Afghanistan and Cambodia. It has its headquarters in Bry-sur-Marne. Since 20 ...

'' has its headquarters in the commune.Mentions légales
."

. Retrieved on 5 May 2011. "Siège social et adresse postale : 4 avenue de l'Europe - 94366 Bry-sur-Marne cedex "

References

External links

Official town site

''Official Website of the Museum of Bry''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brysurmarne Communes of Val-de-Marne Porte de Paris