La Ferté-Alais () is a commune in the

Essonne Essonne () is a department in the southern part of the Île-de-France region in Northern France. It is named after the river Essonne. In 2019, it had a population of 1,301,659, across 194 communes.department in

Île-de-France The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...

in northern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is south of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It used to be a fortress closing the access to the French royal estate from the Essonne valley, then became an industrial village with sand and stones. Its airfield (actually in Cerny), hosts a world-famous air show for vintage

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and

WWII World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

aircraft and a museum of such aircraft. It even has the aircraft (still airworthy) that

Louis Blériot Louis Charles Joseph Blériot ( , also , ; 1 July 1872 – 1 August 1936) was a French aviator, inventor, and engineer. He developed the first practical headlamp for cars and established a profitable business manufacturing them, using much of t ...

used to cross the

English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...

in 1909.

Town name history

The town was known under the name Firmitas, Firmitas Aalipdis, Firmitas Adelaidis, Ferte in 1091, Firmitas Balduini, la Ferté Baudouin in the 12th century from the name of its lord in the 11th century, Feritas, Firmitas Aidelaidis around 1200, apud Feritatem Alisie in 1266, la Ferté Aales around 1263. The name La Ferte-Aleps appears in the Cassini maps and the final name of the commune is registered during its creation in 1793. It is possible to find the name La Ferté-Alaix and afterwards La Ferté-Alais in the law bulletin in 1801. But the final name will remain from 1845 onwards.

Population

Inhabitants of La Ferté-Alais are known as ''Fertois'' in French.

Town name history

Population

See also