FONTAINEBLEAU

'Fontainebleau' is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located 55.5 km. (34.5 miles) south-southeast from the center of Paris. Fontainebleau is a ''sous-préfecture'' of the Seine-et-Marne ''département'', being the seat of the Arrondissement 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 historical Château de Fontainebleau of the kings of France and INSEAD, one of the world's most elite business schools.
Inhabitants of Fontainebleau are called ''Bellifontains''.

Contents

History

Tourism

Fontainebleau forest

Royal Château de Fontainebleau

Other notable places

Transport

Image Gallery

See also

External links

History

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).
During the 1950s and 1960s, Fontainebleau was home to the HQ Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT) before being moved to Brunssum in the Netherlands, after President de Gaulle decided that he no longer needed NATO atomic weapons on French soil as France had now established its own nuclear arsenal.

Tourism

Fontainebleau is a popular tourist destination; each year, 300,000 people visit the palace and about 11 million people visit the forest
.

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 for bouldering and is particularly popular among climbers.
Legend says that it was given to Robin Hood by Richard The Lionheart.

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 of G. I. Gurdjieff and Katherine 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.

Image Gallery

See also

★ Château de Fontainebleau

★ Edict of Fontainebleau (October 1685)

★ List of climbing areas

★ Milly-la-Forêt

External links

★ Fontainebleau official website

★ Castle of Fontainebleau (in English)

★ Fontainebleau forest photos

★ 1999 Land Use, from IAURIF (Institute for Urban Planning and Development of the Paris-Île-de-France région

★ French Ministry of Culture list for Fontainebleau

★ Map of Fontainebleau on Michelin