Le Kremlin-Bicêtre

French commune
nomcommune=Le Kremlin-Bicêtre

---

mapcaption=Paris and inner ring départements
lat_long=coord|48|48|36|N|2|21|36|E|region:FR_type:city(23724)
région=Île-de-France
département=Val-de-Marne
arrondissement=L'Haÿ-les-Roses
canton=Le Kremlin Bicêtre
insee=94043
cp=94270
maire=Jean-Luc Laurent
mandat=2001-2008
intercomm=Communauté
d'agglomération
de Val de Bièvre
alt moy=
alt mini=45 m
alt maxi=115 m
km²=1.54
sans=
25,100
23,724
date-sans=Jan. 1, 2005 estimate)
(March 8, 1999 census
dens=16,299
date-dens=2005|

Le Kremlin-Bicêtre is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 4.5 km. (2.8 miles) from the center of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.

Le Kremlin-Bicêtre is most famous as the location of the Bicêtre Hospital, where Superintendent Philippe Pinel is credited as being the first to introduce humane methods into the treatment of the mentally ill, in 1793. Its most notorious guest was the Marquis de Sade.

Name

The name has roots both in England and Russia. Le Kremlin-Bicêtre was originally a hamlet called simply Bicêtre and located within the commune of Gentilly. The name Bicêtre comes from the manor built there by John of Pontoise, Bishop of Winchester (England), in the end of the 13th century. The name of this Manor of Winchester was corrupted into "Vinchestre", then "Bichestre", and eventually Bicêtre. The Bicêtre Hospital was built several centuries later on the ruins of the manor.

In 1813 the Bicêtre Hospital acted as a major reception point for evacuated casualties of the Grand Armée from the French invasion of Russia. Veterans of the invasion of Russia used to gather in a tavern located near the hospital. This tavern was soon renamed "Au sergent du Kremlin" ("At the sergeant of the Kremlin") in reference to the Moscow Kremlin where the veterans had camped.

Gradually the name Kremlin was used for the whole neighborhood around the Bicêtre Hospital, and appeared for the first time officially in an ordnance map of 1832. Later the names Kremlin and Bicêtre were joined together and became the official name of the area.

History

The commune of Le Kremlin-Bicêtre was created on 13 December, 1896 by detaching its territory from the commune of Gentilly.

Transport

Le Kremlin-Bicêtre is served by Le Kremlin-Bicêtre station on Paris Métro Line 7.

Famous school

Le Kremlin-Bicêtre is also well known because of the computer science schools EPITA and EPITECH

Notable people

French intellectual Jean-François Revel lived in this town in the latter part of his life, and died here in April 2006.

Gallery

External links

* [http://www.ville-kremlin-bicetre.fr/frm.htm Kremlin-Bicêtre official website]