Ville-d'Avray

For the painting, see Ville-d'Avray (1865 painting).
Ville-d'Avray
Commune
Ville-d'Avray Town Hall
Ville-d'Avray Town Hall
Coat of arms of Ville-d'Avray
Coat of arms
Location (in red) within Paris inner suburbs
Location (in red) within Paris inner suburbs
Location of Ville-d'Avray
Ville-d'Avray is located in France
Ville-d'Avray
Ville-d'Avray
Ville-d'Avray is located in Île-de-France (region)
Ville-d'Avray
Ville-d'Avray
Coordinates: 48°49′34″N 2°11′36″E
Country France
Region Île-de-France
Department Hauts-de-Seine
Arrondissement Boulogne-Billancourt
Canton Saint-Cloud
Intercommunality Grand Paris
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Aline de Marcillac
Area
1
 3.67 km2 (1.42 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)
10,883
 • Density 3,000/km2 (7,700/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
92077 /92410
Elevation 86–178 m (282–584 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Ville-d'Avray (French pronunciation: [vil davʁɛ] ) is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 11.9 km (7.4 mi) from the centre of Paris. The commune is part of the arrondissement of Boulogne-Billancourt in the Hauts-de-Seine department.

Demographics

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1968 10,365 —    
1975 11,698 +1.74%
1982 11,625 −0.09%
1990 11,616 −0.01%
1999 11,415 −0.19%
2009 10,717 −0.63%
2014 11,419 +1.28%
2020 10,883 −0.80%
Source: INSEE

Transport

Ville-d'Avray contains a suburban rail line station called Sèvres – Ville d'Avray station on the Transilien Paris-Saint-Lazare suburban rail line. This station is an 800-meter walk from the residential area of Ville-d'Avray.

Personalities

Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827), the civil engineer and physicist whose research in optics led to the almost unanimous acceptance of the wave theory of light, died in Ville-d'Avray at the age of 39.

Jean Rostand was a French experimental biologist and philosopher who lived in Ville-d'Avray. He became famous for his work as a science writer, as well as a philosopher and an activist. His scientific work covered a variety of biological fields such as amphibian embryology, parthenogenesis and teratogeny, while his literary output extended into popular science, history of science and philosophy. His work in the area of cryogenics gave the idea of cryonics to Robert Ettinger.

The famous beauty and Scottish courtesan Grace Elliott died in Ville-d'Avray in May 1823. Landscape painter Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot maintained a residence in the village and used the area as a subject for several paintings including Ville-d'Avray in 1867. Actress Isabelle Huppert spent her childhood in Ville-d'Avray. French author and musician Boris Vian was born in the town in 1920. Literary historian and critic, essayist, novelist and poet, member of the Académie Française and the Académie de Saintonge, Pierre-Henri Simon lived in Ville d'Avray and is buried there.

Famous 19th century courtesan Valtesse de La Bigne had a second home here which was next door to the home of famous French politician Léon Gambetta.

Popularity on Google Earth

The village is the location of a former technical school focused on the aerospace sector, though now associated with the University of Paris. To celebrate their ongoing commitment to aeronautical engineering, a scale model of a Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jet is set out in the courtyard. Discovery of the model by users of Google Earth in the mid-2000s caused a minor stir on the Internet, and the "jet in a residential parking lot" is consistently featured on lists of satellite imagery curiosities.

Education

Primary schools in the commune:

  • Groupe scolaire Jean Rostand
  • Groupe scolaire La Ronce
  • Maternelle Halphen (preschool)

Collège La Fontaine du Roy is within the commune.

It is served by the public high school Lycée Jean Pierre Vernant in Sèvres.

See also