- Fontainebleau
French commune
name = Fontainebleau
caption =Château de Fontainebleau in the town centre
region = Île-de-France
department =Seine-et-Marne ("sous-préfecture ")
arrondissement = Fontainebleau
canton = Fontainebleau
(chief town)
intercomm =Communauté de communes de Fontainebleau-Avon
mayor = Frédéric Valletoux
mandat = 2008-2014
longitude = 2.7025
latitude = 48.409722
time zone = CET/CEST (UTC+1 /+2)
alt moy = 69 m
alt mini = 42 m
alt maxi = 150 m
km² = 172.05
population = 15,942
date-population = 1999
dens = 93
date-dens = 1999
insee = 77186
cp = 77300Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of
Paris ,France . It is located convert|55.5|km|abbr=on south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a "sous-préfecture " of theSeine-et-Marne "département", being the seat of theArrondissement of Fontainebleau . The commune has the largest land area in the Île-de-France region, and is the only one larger than Paris itself.Fontainebleau, together with the neighboring commune of Avon and three other smaller communes, form an urban area of 36,713 inhabitants (1999 census). This urban area is a satellite city of Paris.
Fontainebleau is renowned for its large and scenic
Forest of Fontainebleau , a favorite weekend getaway for Parisians, as well as for the historicalChâteau de Fontainebleau of thekings of France ;INSEAD , one of the world's most elite business schools; and "École Supérieure d'Ingénieurs en Informatique et GÉnie des TELécommunications " (ESIGETEL ) a French Engineering "Grande École ".Inhabitants of Fontainebleau are called "Bellifontains".
History
The preliminary of Fontainebleau, before the Treaty of Paris of
1763 ended theSeven Years' War .The
Edict of Fontainebleau was signed here in October 1685, revoking theEdict of Nantes .During the
French Revolution , Fontainebleau was temporarily renamed Fontaine-la-Montagne, meaning "Fountain by the Mountain" (the mountain referred to is the series of rocky formations located in the Forest of Fontainebleau).Several treaties were signed in Fontainebleau, including the 1814 Treaty of Fontainebleau which stripped
Napoleon Bonaparte of his powers (but not his title asEmperor of the French ) and sent him into exile onElba .During the 1950s and early 1960s, Fontainebleau was home to the
NATO 's HQ Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT ); HQ Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE) (AIRCENT) was located nearby at Camp Guynemer. After France established its own nuclear arsenal under its direct control, French PresidentCharles de Gaulle decided that he no longer needed NATO-controlled atomic weapons on French soil. In 1966, de Gaulle asked for the departure of all non-French NATO troops from French soil. The United States returned those bases to French control, and NATO moved AFCENT toBrunssum in theNetherlands and AIRCENT toRamstein AFB , inWest Germany .Tourism
Fontainebleau is a popular tourist destination; each year, 300,000 people visit the palace and about 11 million people visit the forestFact|date=July 2007.
Fontainebleau forest
The forest of Fontainebleau surrounds the city and dozens of villages. It is protected by France's "Office National des Forêts" and is recognised as a national park that is managed partly to conserve its wild plants and trees (such as the
Service Tree of Fontainebleau ) and its valuable population of birds, mammals and butterflies. It is a former royal hunting park often visited by walkers and horse riders. The forest is also well regarded forbouldering and is particularly popular among climbers.Royal Château de Fontainebleau
The Royal
Château de Fontainebleau is a large castle where the Renaissance was introduced to France from 1528 onwards.Other notable places
* The European (and historical) campus of
INSEAD business school and research laboratories from the "École des Mines de Paris" are located in Fontainebleau.
* The graves ofG. I. Gurdjieff andKatherine Mansfield can be found in the cemetery at Avon.Transport
Fontainebleau is served by two stations on the
Transilien Paris – Lyon suburban rail line: Fontainebleau – Avon and Thomery. Fontainebleau – Avon station, the closest station to the town center of Fontainebleau, is located at the border between the commune of Fontainebleau and the commune of Avon, on the Avon side of the border.Famous Residents
*
Philippe IV King of France, born and died in Fontainebleau
*François II King of France, born in Fontainebleau
*Henri III King of France, born in Fontainebleau
*Louis XIII King of France, born in Fontainebleau
*Christina Queen of Sweden; her loverMonaldeschi was murdered in Fontainebleau
*Alphonse XIII King of Spain, after his abdication
*Aga Khan IV
*Anna Elizabeth Klumpke - 19th/20th century artist
*The Prince and The Princess of Hanover
*Rosa Bonheur - 19th century artist
*Alex Grechishkin Image Gallery
ee also
*
Château de Fontainebleau
*Edict of Fontainebleau (October 1685)
*List of climbing areas
*Milly-la-Forêt
*Treaty of Fontainebleau (1762)
*Fontainebleau High School External links
* [http://www.fontainebleau.fr/ Fontainebleau official website]
* [http://www.uk.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/ Fontainebleau Tourism Office's official website]* [http://en.chateaudefontainebleau.net/ Castle of Fontainebleau (in English)]
* [http://www.iaurif.org/en/gis/fichescom/mos99/ficmos/mos77186.html 1999 Land Use, from IAURIF (Institute for Urban Planning and Development of the Paris-Île-de-France région)] en
* [http://www.culture.gouv.fr/public/mistral/merimee_fr?ACTION=CHERCHER&FIELD_98=INSEE&VALUE_98=77186 French Ministry of Culture list for Fontainebleau] fr icon
* [http://www.viamichelin.co.uk/viamichelin/gbr/dyn/controller/mapPerformPage?strAddress=&strCP=77300&strLocation=Fontainebleau&strCountry=1424&image2.x=28&image2.y=7 Map of Fontainebleau on Michelin] en
* [http://parisbytrain.com/paris-to-fontainebleau-by-train/ Reaching Fontainebleau by Train]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
