Mantes-la-Jolie

Mantes-la-Jolie (French: [mɑ̃t.la.ʒɔli] (listen), often informally called Mantes) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region of north-central France. It is located to the west of Paris, 48.4 km (30.1 mi) from the centre of the capital. Mantes-la-Jolie is a subprefecture; in 2016, it had a population of 44,231.

For other places called Mantes, see Mantes (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Nantes.
Mantes-la-Jolie
Subprefecture and commune
The Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame de Mantes
Coat of arms
Location of Mantes-la-Jolie
Mantes-la-Jolie
Mantes-la-Jolie
Coordinates: 48°59′27″N 1°43′02″E
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentYvelines
ArrondissementMantes-la-Jolie
CantonMantes-la-Jolie
IntercommunalityCU Grand Paris Seine et Oise
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Michel Vialay
Area
1
9.38 km2 (3.62 sq mi)
Population
 (2017-01-01)[1]
44,299
 • Density4,700/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
78361 /78200
Elevation17–41 m (56–135 ft)
(avg. 34 m or 112 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

Mantes was halfway between the centres of power of the dukes of Normandy at Rouen and the Kings of France at Paris. Along with most of northern France, it changed hands frequently in the Hundred Years' War. Philip Augustus died at Mantes, 14 July 1223.

Louis XIV instituted the manufacture of musical instruments in Mantes, and it was chosen as the centre of brass and woodwind instrument manufacture. In the 19th century, painters were attracted to the town, particularly Corot, whose paintings of the bridge and the cathedral are celebrated. Prokofiev spent the summer of 1920 there orchestrating the ballet Chout.

Originally officially called Mantes-sur-Seine (meaning "Mantes upon Seine"), Mantes merged with the commune of Gassicourt in 1930 and the commune born of the merger was called Mantes-Gassicourt.

Mantes was the location of the first allied bridgehead across the Seine on 19 August 1944, by General Patton's 3rd Army. Major rebuilding was needed after the war.

On 7 May 1953, the commune of Mantes-Gassicourt was officially renamed Mantes-la-Jolie (meaning "Mantes the pretty"), allegedly in reference to a letter of King Henry IV addressed to his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées who resided in Mantes: "I am on my way to Mantes, my pretty" (French: je viens à Mantes, ma jolie).

Art
Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot - Le pont de Mantes

At the end of the 19th century, Impressionist painters like Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Édouard Manet and Claude Monet came to paint the Seine River which crosses the town. Jean Batiste Corot painting of the Old Mantes bridge is shown at the Louvres

Population

Inhabitants are called Mantais. The city had a total of 44,985 inhabitants in 2014.

The city is divided into four districts each with a characteristic urban form:

  • Centre-ville: city center, a dense and commercial area
  • Gassicourt: residential area
  • Val Fourré: large housing district
  • Hautes Garennes: a non-urbanized area

Sights
Notre Dame de Mantes

The main monument in Mantes is the church of Notre-Dame dating back to 12th century. A previous church was burnt down by William the Conqueror together with the rest of the town, at the capture of which he lost his life in 1087. Modern bridges link Mantes with the town of Limay on the other side of the river.

Economy

Mantes is home to small businesses working on concrete and chemical processing, but is inevitably drawn into the economic area of nearby Paris.

It is historically and at present a center of musical instrument manufacturing. The well known Buffet Crampon woodwind factory is located in the neighbourhood city of Mantes-la-Ville.

Transportation

Mantes-la-Jolie is served by two stations on the Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare and Transilien Paris – Montparnasse suburban rail lines: Mantes-Station and Mantes-la-Jolie. The Gare de Mantes-la-Jolie is also served by TGV trains towards Le Havre, and Cherbourg.

Education

The municipality has nineteen public preschools,[2] sixteen public elementary schools,[3] six public junior high schools, two public senior high schools/sixth form colleges, and a private secondary school.[4]

Public junior high schools:

Public senior high schools:

  • Lycée Saint-Exupéry
  • Lycée Polyvalent Jean Rostand

Private secondary schools:

  • Collège-Lycée Notre-Dame

Colleges and universities:

International relations

Mantes-la-Jolie is twinned with:[5]

Notable people
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See also

References
  1. "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
  2. "Écoles maternelles à Mantes-la-Jolie." Mantes-la-Jolie. Retrieved on September 2, 2016.
  3. "Les écoles élémentaires à Mantes-la-Jolie." Mantes-la-Jolie. Retrieved on September 2, 2016.
  4. "Collèges et lycées à Mantes-la-Jolie." Mantes-la-Jolie. Retrieved on September 2, 2016.
  5. "Relations Internationales". manteslajolie.fr (in French). Mantes-la-Jolie. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
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