Montreuil
Montreuil, sometimes unofficially called Montreuil-sous-Bois, is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 6.6 km (4.1 mi) from the center of Paris. It is the fourth most populous suburb of Paris (after Boulogne-Billancourt, Saint-Denis and Argenteuil). Montreuil is located near the Bois de Vincennes park.
History
The name Montreuil was recorded for the first time in a royal edict of 722 as Monasteriolum, meaning "little monastery" in Medieval Latin. The settlement of Montreuil started as a group of houses built around a small monastery.
Under the reigns of Louis XIV and Louis XVI the "Peach Walls" which provided the royal court with the fruits were located in Montreuil. It was also later home to the Lumière brothers and George Méliès whose workshops were located in lower Montreuil.
On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occasion, the commune of Charonne was disbanded and divided between the city of Paris, Montreuil, and Bagnolet. Montreuil received a small part of the territory of Charonne.
Today Montreuil is divided into several districts:
- Le bas Montreuil (which joins together the old workshops (bordering on Saint-Mandé), the marché aux puces (bordering on Paris, carries of Montreuil),
- The Mairie (town hall) (the malls, la croix de Chavaux, the mairie, and the church),
- La Noue (parc des Guilands, city of du Val, Robespierre, bordering on Bagnolet),
- Le Bel Air (Jean Moulin housing estate, park des Beaumonts, city of Bel Air, city of Grand Pechers),
- La Boissière (all the north of Montreuil, bordering on Noisy-le-Sec, Rosny-sous-Bois and Fontenay-sous-Bois).
Most known art are Decorations (ceramics and frescoes) in the state school "Voltaire" by Maurice Boitel (1954).
