Guyancourt (French: [ɡɥi.jɑ̃.kuʁ] ⓘ) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is located in the south-western suburbs of Paris, 21.2 km (13.2 mi) from the center of Paris, in the "new town" of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines.
Guyancourt | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Church of Saint-Victor in Guyancourt | |
.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs | |
Location of Guyancourt  | |
  Guyancourt  Guyancourt | |
| Coordinates: 48°46′17″N 2°04′26″E / 48.7714°N 2.0739°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Île-de-France |
| Department | Yvelines |
| Arrondissement | Versailles |
| Canton | Montigny-le-Bretonneux |
| Intercommunality | Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | François Morton[1] |
| Area 1 | 13.0 km2 (5.0 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 29,406 |
| • Density | 2,300/km2 (5,900/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 78297 /78280 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Geography edit
The commune of Guyancourt comprises several districts. The first of them, corresponding to the old village, is known as "le village", the others are named:
- Bouviers (Herdsmen), ancient hamlet of the village
- Les Garennes (the warrens)
- L'Europe (Europe)
- Le Pont du Routoir (the bridge over the retting pit)
- Les Saules (the Willows)
- Le Parc (the Park)
- Les Chênes (the Oaks)
- Villaroy (the recently constructed districts of the city)
The bordering communes are Versailles to the northeast, Voisins-le-Bretonneux to the southwest, Montigny-le-Bretonneux to the west, Châteaufort to the southeast, Magny-les-Hameaux to the south and Saint-Cyr-l'Ecole in the northwest.
Although located in the Paris suburbs (in an Anglo-Saxon conception of suburbs), more than half of the territory of the commune of Guyancourt is covered in natural spaces: forests, wood, parks, gardens and ponds.
History edit
Prehistoric edit
The site of the city was already inhabited by Neolithic tribes who left hundreds of vestiges such as arrows, flint scrapers, polished axes... which have been recovered in the districts of Bouviers, Troux and Villaroy.
Antiquity edit
The civilization continued through Roman times, as Mr. Leclère, a farmer, demonstrated in a fortuitous way in 1892 by unearthing an antique ballot box in his field.
The religious life edit
Work to restore the church Saint-Victor put the date of the sarcophages at the Merovingian era (from the seventh century). It is believed that the construction of the first church dates from the fourteenth century. Several funerary vases and a tomb stone dating from the sixteenth century were updated. The church was renovated in the fifteenth century, then entirely rebuilt in the sixteenth century. The most recent restoration goes back to 1998.
Guyancourt and the Palace of Versailles edit
Guyancourt forms part of the "Grand Parc" of the sun king Soleil (Louis XIV), which extended around the castle of Versailles. The essential vocation of the populous communes neighbouring the castle is market-gardening, to provide for the important needs for the Court.
French revolution edit
Thanks to the register of grievances sent to the governmental authorities (1789), we know that Guyancourtois, who were mostly modest peasants, lived with difficulty under conditions of famine.
The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 edit
France is partly occupied by the Prussian armies. The enemy spreads terror, the houses are plundered, the inhabitants maltreated. Four hundred of them (an enormous figure for the time) prefer to flee.
The 1900s edit
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Guyancourt was a large village where one cultivates corn, oats, beets, fodder and potatoes. The trades were numerous, with almost 16 wine merchants for 614 inhabitants.
The war of 1914–1918 cost the lives of thirty-six Guyancourtois. The war of 1939–1945 also touched Guyancourt, which was liberated by August 25, 1944.
The end of the twentieth century edit
Starting from the beginning of the 1950s, the Paris area saw a considerable demographic growth. To structure the development of the suburbs, it was decided to create several new towns around Paris, one of which being Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. The new city of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines includes today seven communes (eleven in the beginning), one of which is Guyancourt. In 1950 Guyancourt was only one small village. The commune grew since 1970 to reach the figure of 27,000 inhabitants in 2004.
Population edit
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| Source: EHESS[3] and INSEE (1968-2017)[4] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Culture edit
This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
International relations edit
Guyancourt is twinned with:
Linlithgow, Scotland, United Kingdom, the birthplace of Mary, Queen of Scots[5]
Pegnitz, Germany
Notable people edit
- Roland Nadaus: Poet, writer, lampoonist, storyteller, lyric writer, novelist, local councillor and départemental. The author of about thirty works, he also assumed several mandates of mayor, advising general, and President of the urban community (then called the SAN, trade union of new agglomeration).
Economy edit
Industrial fabric edit
Guyancourt accommodates not only many SME and trade, but also several large companies, such as:
- Le Technocentre Renault (automobile)
- The head office of Bouygues Construction
- At one time parent company Bouygues had its head office in the Kevin Roche-designed Challenger complex.[6]
- The national case of Crédit Agricole
- The registered office of McDonald's, France
- Prost Grand Prix (closed now).
Education edit
Higher education and research edit
- Guyancourt is home to a campus of the University of Versailles-Saint-Quentin. The buildings located in the commune relate to the lessons on human rights and the social sciences.
- One also finds there research laboratories of the INRA (National Institute of Agronomic Research)
Primary and secondary schools edit
Junior high schools:
Senior high schools:
Transportation edit
Guyancourt is served by no station of the Paris Métro, RER, or suburban rail network. The closest station to Guyancourt is Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines–Montigny-le-Bretonneux station on Paris RER line C, on the Transilien La Défense suburban rail line, and on the Transilien Paris-Montparnasse suburban rail line. This station is located in the neighboring commune of Montigny-le-Bretonneux, 2.7 km (1.7 mi) from the town center of Guyancourt.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
- ^ Des villages de Cassini aux communes d'aujourd'hui: Commune data sheet Guyancourt, EHESS (in French).
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ Linlithgow
- ^ "Bouygues reste fidèle à son architecte." Le Journal du Net. Retrieved on 7 July 2010.
- ^ "Collège Ariane." Guyancourt. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Collège Les Saules." Guyancourt. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Collège Paul-Eluard." Guyancourt. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Lycée Polyvalent Descartes." Guyancourt. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Lycée de Villaroy." Guyancourt. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Lycée Émilie-de Breteuil." Guyancourt. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
- ^ "Lycée d'État d'Hôtellerie et de Tourisme." Guyancourt. Retrieved on September 3, 2016.
External links edit
