RUEIL-MALMAISON

'Rueil-Malmaison' (pronounced or ), often called simply (but unofficially) 'Rueil', is a ''commune'' of the Hauts-de-Seine located in the western suburbs of Paris, France. This ''Francilienne'' town is located 12.6 km. (7.8 miles) from the center of Paris.

Contents

Name

History

Demographics

Immigration

Economy

Transport

Landmarks

Twin towns

External links

Name

Rueil-Malmaison was originally called simply Rueil. In Medieval times the name Rueil was spelled either Roialum, Riogilum, Rotoialum, Ruolium, or Ruellium. This name is made of the Celtic word ''ialo'' (meaning "clearing, glade", "place of") suffixed to a radical meaning "brook, stream" (Latin ''rivus'', Old French ''rû''), or maybe to a radical meaning "ford" (Celtic ''ritu'').
In 1928 the name of the commune officially became Rueil-Malmaison in reference to its most famous tourist attraction, the Chateau de Malmaison, home of Napoléon's first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais.
The name Malmaison comes from Medieval Latin ''mala mansio'', meaning "ill-fated domain", "estate of ill luck". In the Early Middle Ages Malmaison was the site of a royal residence which was destroyed by the Vikings in 846, hence the name.

History

Rueil is famous for the Chateau de Malmaison where Napoleon and his first wife Josephine de Beauharnais lived. Upon her death in 1814 she was buried at the nearby St. Pierre and St. Paul church, which lies at the centre of the city.
The Rueil barracks of the Swiss Guard was constructed in 1756 under Louis XV by the architect Axel Guillaumot, and has been a listed Historic Monument since 1973. The Guard was formed by Louis XIII in 1616 and massacred at the Tuileries on 10 August 1792.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Rueil was located on the front line.
At the end of the 19th century famous painters like Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edouard Manet and Claude Monet came to paint the Seine which crosses the city.

Demographics

Immigration

Economy

The main campus of the French Institute of Petroleum research organisation is in Rueil. The city has also become home to many large companies moving out of La Défense business district, located only 5 km. (3 miles) from Rueil, a trend first established by the move of Esso headquarters to Rueil.
There are about 850 service sector companies located in Rueil, 70 of which employ more than 100 people. A business district called Rueil-sur-Seine (previously known as "Rueil 2000") was created near the RER A Rueil-Malmaison station to accommodate these companies. The business district is equipped with a fiber-optic network.
Several major French companies have their world headquarters in Rueil-Malmaison, such as Schneider Electric and VINCI. Several large international companies have also located their French headquarters in Rueil-Malmaison, such as AstraZeneca and Unilever.

Transport

Rueil-Malmaison is served by Rueil-Malmaison station on Paris RER line A.

Landmarks

The famous Chateau de Malmaison, home of Napoléon's first wife Joséphine de Beauharnais, is located in Rueil-Malmaison. The public may visit the manor house as a Napoleonic musée national, with guided tours available.

Château de Malmaison|

Twin towns

★ Fribourg, Switzerland

★ Lynchburg, Virginia, USA (Sister City)

★ Elmbridge, Surrey, UK

External links

★ Rueil-Malmaison Official website