Évry is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 25.0 km. (15.5 miles) from the center of Paris, in the "new town" of Évry Ville Nouvelle, created in the 1960s, of which it is the central and most populated commune.
Évry, Essonne | |
|---|---|
Location of  | |
| Country | France |
| Arrondissement | Évry |
| Canton | Chief town of 2 cantons |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 91228 / |
Significant nearby suburbs include Corbeil-Essonnes, Ris-Orangis, Brétigny-sur-Orge, and Draveil.
Name
Originally the commune was called Évry-sur-Seine (meaning "Évry upon Seine"). The name Évry comes from the Celtic name Eburacon or Eburiacos, meaning "land of Eburos (a Gallic patronym)", perhaps the leader of a Gallic tribe in the area before the conquest of Gaul by the Romans. After the conquest, the name was corrupted into Latin Apriacum, then Medieval Latin Avriacum, and later Evriacum.
In 1881 the name of the commune was changed into Évry-Petit-Bourg at the request of entrepreneur Paul Decauville, owner of Ateliers de Petit-Bourg, a large boiler works located in Évry and at the time the largest employer in the area. The factory owed its name to the hamlet of Petit-Bourg (one of the three hamlets on the territory of Évry) where it was built.
On June 29, 1965 the name of the commune was shortened into Évry only. Évry had just been chosen to become a "new town" of the suburbs of Paris, destined to host tens of thousands of suburbanites, and so the name "Petit-Bourg" (literally meaning "little borough, small town" in modern French, although etymologists think that this name was in fact the corruption of an old Celtic word with a totally different meaning) was deemed too old fashioned and improper for the new large suburban city of Évry to be built.
Administration
Évry is the préfecture (capital) of the Essonne département. It is also the official seat of the arrondissement of Évry, although in reality the sous-préfecture buildings and administration are located in the neighboring commune of Corbeil-Essonnes.
Évry is the capital of two cantons:
History
In 1965 Évry became part of the French new town initiative and took its current name. Before it was known as Évry-Petit-Bourg and had a population of only a few thousand.
When Évry was built Orly was the N°1 international airport of France and many international companies such as Digital, Hewlett Packard, and Alsthom established their head offices in Évry. However, with the expansion of Charles de Gaulle Roissy airport, all the larger companies have moved out causing the downfall of the many smaller service companies which catered to the lunchtime needs of the thousands of staff which were either displaced or made redundant.
The town has tried to counteract this exodus by increasing the capacity of the commercial center, the Agora to 286 shops, mostly selling the same wares (36 ready made women's ware, 12 mobile phone shops, 12 opticians, etc). The car parks were destined to be "pay by the hour" but in view of the lack of trade, the idea has been shelved notwithstanding the expense of installing the barriers and pay points. Another measure taken by the local authorities has been to declare certain quarters a "zone franche" which means that businesses starting up in these areas are exempt from corporation tax along with many other social benefits and aids which makes Évry an attractive town for future entrepreneurs.
The Cathedral of the Resurrection, dedicated to St Corbinien and built by a predominantly moslem work force is the only cathedral to have been built in Europe during the 20th Century. Pope John-Paul II made a visit on August 22, 1997, and although car parks were requisitioned as far away as Corbeil-Essonnes, apart from invited guests, less than 500 people turned out for the event, which means that Évry maybe holds the world record for the smallest crowd at a papal appearance.
In 2003, the socialist mayor, Manuel Valls, finally embarked upon a massive safeguard plan designed to entirely renovate the more defavourised areas which includes much demolition of the obsolete 1960s buildings (especially in the "Pyramides" quarter, once the French equivalent of the Gorbals), and the upgrading of the more recent residential structures and schools.
On January 31, 2006, in the Sénat during the 14th ceremony of the "Prix du Trombinoscope 2005" (press awards), Manuel Valls was elected "Local Representative of the Year."
Transportation
Évry is served by three stations on Paris RER line D: Évry, Évry – Courcouronnes, and Le Bras-de-Fer.
Religious activity
Evry has the following religious edifices (in descending order of attendance):
- Mosque and Islamic Centre (second largest in France).
- Cathedral of the Ressurection (only cathedral to be built in Europe during the 20th century).
- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons)
- Evangelist Centre (Protestant).
- Parish church of St Peter & St Paul (extremely rare 12th century building oriented N/S instead of E/W).
- Synagogue
- Notre Dame de l'Esperance.
- Convent of Notre Dame de Sion
There is also a very strong presence of Jehovah's Witnesses in Evry with their Kingdom Hall in Ris Orangis.
The largest Pagoda in Western Europe is at present under construction.
Political activity
The following political parties have a permanent base in Evry:
- Parti Communiste Français
- Parti Radical de Gauche
- Parti Socialiste
- UDF
- UMP
- Groupe des Verts
- Groupe "Défi pour Evry"
- Groupe "Nous, Citoyens d'Evry"
Miscellaneous
Towards the end of the war General Patton crossed the Seine with his tanks at Évry en route from Avranches going to the Ardennes where he fought the Battle of the Bulge.
Although Évry is a modern "new town," which is generally synonymous with "concrete jungle," 50% of its surface area is parkland and open space. The main thoroughfares are very wide avenues and trees are to be found everywhere. In the nationwide intercommunal competition "Ville Fleurie" (flowered town) Évry has been awarded the high status of "3 flowers," usually won by country villages.
Évry is the home of the European space project Ariane, at the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).
Twinnings
Évry is twinned with the London Borough of Bexley in England. This is because, originally, Évry was designed to be a predominantly management and executive class town. Today, however, Évry resembles Dagenham and has little in common with Bexley.
Évry is also twinned with Nowy Targ in Poland; Troisdorf in Germany; Esteli in Nicaragua; and Repentigny in Quebec.
The Agglomération d'Évry has twinning pacts with Kayes in Mali; and the refugee camp of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. (Maison du Monde, 509, Patio des Terrasses, Évry.)
External links
- http://www.mairie-evry.fr/
- http://www.agglo-evry.fr
- http://www.echosdesquartiers.com (Pyramides/Bois Sauvage)
- University of Evry site
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