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 ...
,
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 located 14.7 kilometres (9.1 mi) from the center of Paris.
Population
Massy underwent rapid development within a short period of time, transforming from a large borough of 6,000 inhabitants in 1950 to a town exceeding 37,000 inhabitants in 1968. Since then, its population of around 40,000 has remained relatively stable. Its population grew again after 2000 because of new constructions.
The inhabitants of Massy are known as ''Massicois''.
Transport
Massy is served by two interchange stations on Paris RER line B and
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 and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from north to south. Briefly, betwee ...
: and .
There is also a
TGV
The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
station, called , which is adjacent to Massy – Palaiseau station and is one of only three specially-built TGV stations in the suburbs of Paris (the two others are at Disneyland Resort Paris and at
Charles de Gaulle Airport
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport, is the primary international airport serving Paris, the capital city of France. The airport opened in 1974 and is located in Roissy-en-France, northeast of Paris. It is named for ...
).
History
The etymological origin of Massy is still very dubious. This name could result from the name of an owner of a villa of the Gallo-Roman time, original site of the village. Called Matius or Matheus, the name of his property then village would have been subjected to deformations due to language and the passing of time to become Massy. Located near the road between Paris and Chartres, the villa was undoubtedly built on a height (the Gaudon Mount) and formed the starting point of a human establishment. The argillaceous subsoil explains the formation of a clearing within the forest and the numerous stretches of water in the surrounding area.
During the Middle Ages and until the end of the ''
Ancien Régime
''Ancien'' may refer to
* the French word for " ancient, old"
** Société des anciens textes français
* the French for "former, senior"
** Virelai ancien
** Ancien Régime
** Ancien Régime in France
{{disambig ...
'', the lordly estates divided up the territory of the current commune, assigning a majority part to the ecclesiastical institutions and in particular the abbey of St-Germain-des-Prés.
Before 1900, the history of the city was similar to that of the rural boroughs of
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 ...
. After the French Revolution, the town remained rural. The population followed an evolution identical to that of the rest of the region. It underwent the same wars, epidemics and rebellions. The Massicois practiced mainly agricultural trades (gardeners, vine growers), even if local arts and crafts were always present. The tile factory, abandoned after the Second World War, was the town's oldest industry.
It is with the beginning of the 20th century that the face of Massy changes: from being a rural village, it transforms into a town increasing subjected to the attraction of Paris. Once with a population of just 1,400 people, nowadays, the town of Massy holds almost 40,000 inhabitants. At the end of the 19th century, the development of railways supported the construction of industries. The first allotments were born at the beginning of the century. The city's urbanisation developed towards the districts of the Gravels and Villaine, where it was necessary to establish a school as early as 1927. It is the era of the “suburban house”.
During the
Second World War
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 ...
, the marshalling yard of Massy–Palaiseau was considered a strategic rail junction. The bombardments of these infrastructures caused 88 victims and material damage throughout the town. In the post-war period, the reconstruction and development of the suburbs of Paris and its suburbs metamorphosed the town's geography. The housing crisis provoked an outrage, thus the "castor" movement established some residences in the east of the city. The establishment of a housing scheme on 145 hectares of the communes of Massy-Antony caused the population of Massy to double. The creation of a 'Priority Construction Zone' in Villaine 10 years later was intended to even out the town's urbanisation. This abrupt development of the town also modified its social structure: rejuvenation of the population, arrival of foreigners, etc. During the 1960s and 1970s, questions are raised about rapid urban development: housing problems and shantytowns, lack of public resources, requalification of certain factory sites, delinquency, etc. To satisfy the needs for this new population, many new infrastructures were created such as schools, hospitals, sports centres, swimming pools, arts centres, nurseries and parks. The establishment of a
TGV
The TGV (; , , 'high-speed train') is France's intercity high-speed rail service. With commercial operating speeds of up to on the newer lines, the TGV was conceived at the same period as other technological projects such as the Ariane 1 rocke ...
station in 1991 is an asset for the economic development of the city. Nowadays, certain amenities have an influence which exceeds the communal and departmental circles, in particular opera and theatre. (Author: Municipal archives of Massy).
The Hôtel de Ville was completed in around 1986.
Massy has a professional sports team in Rugby ( Rugby Club Massy Essonne, playing Federal 1, third level of Rugby in France) and Handball ( Massy Essonne HandBall, playing in ProLigue, second level of Handball in France).
Massy has one
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
team in FC Massy 91.
Massy also has major sports associations in climbing and swimming.
Personalities
*
Nicolas Appert
Nicolas Appert (17 November 1749 – 1 June 1841) was a French confectioner and inventor who, in the early 19th century, invented airtight food preservation. Appert, known as the " father of food science", described his invention as a way "of c ...
, inventor of the process of canning, in 1802 created a workshop in Massy employing fifty people in order to produce the preserves which have made it famous. The factory was destroyed in 1815, following the Prussian invasion. Nicolas Appert returned to Massy in 1836 and died there on 1 June 1841.
* Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges, a famous historian, lived in Massy from 1883 until 1889, date of his death.
* Jacques-René Tenon was a surgeon in Salpêtrière. He owes his fame to the combat which he led for the development of hygiene in hospitals. He thus imposed the installation of individual beds and the isolation of patients with contagious diseases. Today his estate accommodates the Orphelins Apprentis d'Auteuil.
* Princess Antoinette of Monaco was officially designated Baroness of Massy by her younger brother, Rainier III, in 1951. The style ''Baron/Baroness de Massy'' has since become that of the members of her
cadet branch
A cadet branch consists of the male-line descendants of a monarch's or patriarch's younger sons ( cadets). In the ruling dynasties and noble families of much of Europe and Asia, the family's major assets (realm, titles, fiefs, property and incom ...
of the princely family.
*
Alain Chabat
Alain Chabat (; born 24 November 1958) is a French actor, comedian, director, screenwriter, producer and television presenter. Originally known for his work in the comedy group Les Nuls, including as the co-writer and lead actor of ''La Cité de ...
, actor, film director and producer
* Yorane Julians, basketball player
*
Johan Martial
Johan Martial (born 30 May 1991) is a French professional footballer who plays as a centre-back. He was a France youth international for the under-19 and under-20 teams.
Club career
Martial was born in Massy. He joined SC Bastia after leavi ...
, footballer for Panetolikos
* Dorian Martial ex-captain of CO Les Ulis
* Anthony Martial, footballer for
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
*
Yaya Sanogo
Yaya Sanogo (born 27 January 1993) is a French professional association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), striker for China League One club Qingdao Red Lions F.C., Qingdao Red Lions.
A promising youth player, h ...
Sunderland AFC
Sunderland Association Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Formed in 187 ...
Places and monuments
* Château de Vilgénis : Built in 1823 in a 55-hectare park. In the park, a pond in the form of Napoleon's Bicornate was dug by the emperor's young brother, Jerôme Bonaparte.
* Massy has an opéra-théâtre which plays an important part in the Essonian cultural life.
* Massy also has an arts cinema consisting of three rooms projecting films with their original soundtrack. Prices: €6.80 per showing or €4.60 with a season ticket costing €5 a year.
Economy
On 1 July 2010
Alstom
Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...
inaugurated the new head office of its Energy Management Business (EMB) division in Massy. At the time the office had 600 employees.
Education
The commune has an integrated school, 16 preschools, and 12 elementary schools. There are three public junior high schools operated by Essonne: Collège Blaise Pascal, Collège Denis Diderot, and Collège Gérard Philipe. There are three senior high schools operated by
Île de France
Ile or ILE may refer to:
Ile
* Ile, a Puerto Rican singer
* Ile District (disambiguation), multiple places
* Ilé-Ifẹ̀, an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria
* Interlingue (ISO 639:ile), a planned language
* Isoleucine, an amino aci ...
: ''
Lycée du Parc de Vilgénis
In France, secondary education is in two stages:
* ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14.
* ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...