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{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Expand French|Meudon|date=July 2014|topic=geo}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name               = Meudon 
|commune status     = [[Communes of France|Commune]]
|image              = Meudon-Observatoire.jpg
|caption            = Observatory of Meudon
|map                = Meudon_map.svg
|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Meudon (Hauts-de-Seine).svg
|map caption        = Location (in red) within Paris [[petite couronne|inner suburbs]]
|coordinates        = {{coord|48|48|46|N|02|14|18|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|arrondissement     = Boulogne-Billancourt
|canton             = Meudon
|INSEE              = 92048
|postal code        = 92190, 92360
|mayor              = Denis Larghero<ref>{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term               = 2020&ndash;2026
|party              = [[Union of Democrats and Independents|UDI]]
|intercommunality   = [[Grand Paris]]
|elevation m        = 103
|elevation min m    = 28
|elevation max m    = 179
|area km2           = 9.90
|population         = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}

'''Meudon''' ({{IPA|fr|mødɔ̃|-|Fr-Paris--Meudon.ogg}}) is a French [[Communes of France|commune]] located in the [[Hauts-de-Seine]] [[Departments of France|department]] in the [[Île-de-France]] [[Regions of France|region]], on the left bank of the [[Seine]]. It is located {{convert|9.1|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the [[Kilometre Zero|center of Paris]].

The city is covered by the Meudon Domanial Forest that accounts for half of its surface, a rarity in the close suburbs of Paris. Also, the city presents many significant [[Grade (slope)|grades]] and happens to be the geographic high point of the "small crown" of the Paris suburbs.

The city is mainly known for its forest and its [[Paris Observatory|observatory]], that specializes in astrophysics and observation of the sun, but has also been home to celebrities such as [[Auguste Rodin]], [[Richard Wagner]], [[Louis-Ferdinand Céline|Louis Ferdinand Céline]], Pascal Manoukian, [[Ambroise Paré]] and [[Armande Béjart]].

==Geography==

[[File:Meudon limite communale.jpg|thumb|Map of the commune, extracted from [[OpenStreetMap]].]]

=== Localization ===
The town of Meudon is built on the hills and valleys of the [[Seine]], in the south-west of the [[Hauts-de-Seine]] [[Departments of France|department]]. The forest of Meudon lies for the most part to the west of the town.

The north-west part of Meudon, overlooking the Seine, is known as ''Bellevue'' ("beautiful view").

The neighboring communes are: [[Sèvres]] ([[North-west]]), [[Boulogne-Billancourt]] ([[North]]); [[Issy-les-Moulineaux]] ([[northeast]]), [[Clamart]] (east and southeast), [[Vélizy]] (south and southwest) and [[Chaville]] (west).

The town includes several districts: Meudon-sur-Seine, Val Fleury, Meudon-Centre, Bellevue and Meudon-la-Forêt.

=== Geology and Topography ===
The city covers 990 hectares, or 9.9 km<sup>2</sup> (3.8 mi<sup>2</sup>), from the Seine river up to the neigboring heights.

As such, it has significant elevation changes along its territory and hard slopes. Altitude varies from 28m (92 ft) next to the river to 179m (587 ft) on the valley heights.

The Meudon Forest occupies the city heights, while the urban part is built on the sloped grounds next to the forest. The Bas-Meudon district, next to the Seine, displays the first slopes, the Bellevue district and downtown Meudon are at middle elevation. The Meudon-la-Forêt district is isolated from the rest of city, and rests on top of the Vélizy-Villacoublay plateau, at a height comprised between 168m (551 ft) and 174m (570 ft).

=== Climate ===
Meudon experiences an [[oceanic climate]] ([[Köppen]] Cfb) featuring warm summers and cool winters.

==History==
[[File:Hôtel de Ville de Meudon.jpg|thumb|The [[Hôtel de Ville, Meudon|Hôtel de Ville]]]]{{See also|History of Île-de-France}}
[[Louis Eugène Robert]], a [[Natural history|naturalist]] doctor that lived in Meudon, published the book [https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/Histoire_et_description_naturelle_de_la_commune_de_Meudon History and Natural Description of the Meudon Commune (French)] in 1843.

At Meudon, the [[argile plastique]] [[clay]] was extensively mined in the 19th century. The first [[fossil]] of the European [[diatryma]] ''Gastornis parisiensis'' was discovered in these deposits by [[Gaston Planté]].

=== Roman Times ===
Archelogical sites found at Meudon show that it may have been populated since the [[Neolithic]] times. [[Gauls]] named the site ''Mole-Dum'' (sand dune), and the [[Roman Empire|Romans]] Latinized the name as ''Moldunum''.

=== Middle Ages ===
The oldest known Lord of Meudon is the knight Erkenbold, in 1180.

During the [[Middle Ages]], the history of Meudon is linked to the Meudon Family, an old family of the French [[nobility]].

The [[Saint-Germain-des-Prés (abbey)|Saint-Germain]] [[abbey]] held a [[Manorialism|seigneurerie]] at Meudon since the 12th century, despite that monastery having no official title granting such rights over the city before the 13th century.

In 1235, Simon, the Saint-Germain abbot, buys back the [[wheat]] and [[wine]] [[Tithe|tithes]] from Etienne de Meudon. The abbot then continued to buy land in Meudon.

In 1333, Robert de Meudon is [[Grand Panetier of France|panetier]] to King [[Philip VI of France]], and its son Henri de Meudon is [[Grand Huntsman of France|grand huntsman]].

=== Renaissance ===
The old [[Château de Meudon|castle of Meudon]] was rebuilt in Renaissance style in the mid-sixteenth century. It was bought by [[Louis XIV of France|Louis XIV]] as a residence for his son [[Louis, Dauphin of France (1661-1711)|Louis, the Dauphin]] under whom Meudon became a center of aristocratic life. 

After the death of the Dauphin in 1711, the château was neglected, emptied in the [[Revolutionary sales]], and finally burned in 1871 at the close of the [[Franco-Prussian War]], while it was occupied by Prussian soldiers. 

A branch of the [[Paris Observatory]] was founded on the ruins in 1877. 

=== Modern Times ===
The handsome Galliera Institutions, on the hill of Fleury, were founded by the duchess of Galliera for the care of aged persons and orphans. The buildings were completed in 1885.

The [[Hôtel de Ville, Meudon|Hôtel de Ville]] was commissioned as a private house and was completed in 1888.<ref>{{Base Mérimée|IA00129824}}</ref>

==== Automotive pioneering ====
[[Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot]], the inventor of the [[History of the automobile|'world's first automobile']], is reported to have carried out some early trials at Meudon in the early 1770s.

==== Pioneering aviation ====
[[Chalais-Meudon]] was important in the pioneering of aviation, initially [[balloon (aircraft)|balloon]]s and [[airship]]s, but also the early heavier-than-air machines.  A ''Corps d'Aérostatiers'' under the command of [[Jean-Marie-Joseph Coutelle]] was established in 1794, its balloons being used at the [[Battle of Fleurus (1794)|Battle of Fleurus]]. 
[[Airship hangar|'Hangar Y]]' (at {{coord |48.7977|N|2.233|E}}) was built in 1880 at the request of the military engineer Captain [[Charles Renard]] (1847–1905), for the construction of balloons and airships. The building is {{convert|70|m|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{convert|24|m|ft|abbr=on}} wide and around {{convert|26|m|ft|abbr=on}} high. 

The airship ''[[La France (airship)|La France]]'', designed by Renard and [[Arthur Krebs]], was built in Hangar Y in 1884 and was the first airship which was controllable during flight and which could return to its starting point.<ref>[http://www.carnetdevol.org/aerostation/aviation.htm Ville de Meudon, Aviation, Archdeacon and Wright No 3] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301135051/http://www.carnetdevol.org/aerostation/aviation.htm |date=1 March 2009 }}</ref>
[[File:The 1884 Krebs & Renard first fully controllable free-flights with the LA FRANCE dirigible near Paris (Krebs arch.).jpg|thumb|The 1884 Krebs & Renard first fully controllable free-flights with the LA FRANCE electric dirigible in Meudon near Paris (Krebs arch.)]]

==Population==

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|22356|Meudon}}</ref> and INSEE (1968-2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-92048#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |2250
|1800 |2015
|1806 |2311
|1821 |2265
|1831 |3026
|1836 |3233
|1841 |3174
|1846 |3680
|1851 |3783
|1856 |4789
|1861 |5157
|1866 |6620
|1872 |12037
|1876 |6425
|1881 |6080
|1886 |7621
|1891 |8005
|1896 |8892
|1901 |9702
|1906 |10289
|1911 |12292
|1921 |15649
|1926 |18123
|1931 |20870
|1936 |20749
|1946 |20797
|1954 |24729
|1962 |34878
|1968 |50623
|1975 |52806
|1982 |48450
|1990 |45339
|1999 |43663
|2007 |44873
|2012 |45107
|2017 |45352
}}

==Economy==
Although a choice residential district, access to the railway ([[Réseau Express Régional|RER]]) and the Seine river have made Meudon a manufacturing center since the 1840s. 

Metal products and military explosives have been continuously produced there since then.

In recent times, the town's economy has shifted toward services from its manufacturing origins. [[Thales Group]], [[HP Inc.|HP]], [[Vallourec]] and [[Sodexo]] have offices in the Meudon Campus business district at Meudon-sur-Seine. 

==Scientific facilities==
In addition to the Observatory, what is today [[ONERA]], a national aerospace research institute and [[wind tunnel]] has been present since the military opened its aerostatic (lighter-than-air) field in the Chalais park in 1877. From 1921 to 1981 the Air Museum was located here until it moved to [[Le Bourget Airport]].

The [[French National Centre for Scientific Research]] has a [[campus in Bellevue]].

==Public transport==
[[File:RER Station Meudon-val-Fleury RER.jpg|thumb|Meudon Val Fleury station]]
Meudon is well served by public transport operated jointly by the [[SNCF]] and the [[RATP Group|RATP]].

=== [[Réseau Express Régional|Réseau Express Régional (RER)]] – [[RER C|Line C]] ===
Meudon is served by line C of the RER by [[Meudon-Val Fleury station|Meudon-Val Fleury]] station.

=== [[Transilien]] – [[Transilien Line N]] ===
Meudon is also served by the Transilien Line N through [[Meudon station]] and [[Bellevue station (France)|Bellevue station]].

=== [[Tramways in Île-de-France|Tramway]] – [[Île-de-France tramway Line 2|T2]] and [[Île-de-France tramway Line 6|T6]] ===
Meudon is served along the Seine by two stations on the T2 tramway line: Meudon-sur-Seine and Brimborion. This line links the [[Porte de Versailles station|Porte de Versailles]] in the south to the Pont de Bezons in the north, serving the [[La Défense station|La Défense]] business district.

The T6 tramway line runs from [[Châtillon, Hauts-de-Seine|Châtillon]] to [[Viroflay]]. Meudon is served by Georges Millandy and Meudon la Forêt stations.

=== [[RATP bus network]] ===
Meudon is served by twelve lines of the RATP bus network, that have numerous stops in the city:
* Line 162 runs from Arceuil – [[Cachan]] RER station to [[Villejuif–Louis Aragon station|Villejuif-Louis Aragon]].
* Line 169 runs from [[Pont de Sèvres station|Pont de Sèvres]] to the Georges Pompidou [[Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou|hospital]].
* Line 179 runs from [[Pont de Sèvres station|Pont de Sèvres]] to the [[Robinson station|Robinson RER station]].
* Line 190 runs from [[Petit Clamart]] to [[Mairie d'Issy station|Mairie d'Issy]].
* Line 289 runs from [[Porte de Saint-Cloud station|Porte de Saint-Cloud]] to [[Clamart]] – Cité de la Plaine.
* Line 290 runs from [[Le Plessis-Robinson]] to [[Issy–Val de Seine station|Issy-Val-de-Seine]].
* Line 291 runs from [[Pont de Sèvres station|Pont de Sèvres]] to Vélizy Europe Sud.
* Line 379 runs from [[Vélizy 2]] to [[Antony, Hauts-de-Seine|Antony]] – [[La Croix de Berny station|La Croix de Berny RER station]].
* Line 389 runs from [[Pont de Sèvres station|Pont de Sèvres]] to Meudon-la-Forêt.
* Line 390 runs from [[Vélizy-Villacoublay|Vélizy Villacoublay]] to the [[Bourg-la-Reine station|Bourg-la-Reine RER station]].

The area was once served by the [[Bellevue funicular]], a model of which is in the local Museum of Art and History.

==Education==
Public schools:
* Three groups of preschools and elementary schools<ref name=Preschools1>"Écoles maternelles." Meudon. p. [http://www.meudon.fr/etablissements/ecoles-maternelles-1395.html 1–2]. Retrieved on 7 September 2016.</ref>
* Nine standalone preschools<ref name=Preschools0>"Écoles maternelles." Meudon. p. [http://www.meudon.fr/etablissements/ecoles-maternelles-1395.html 1]. Retrieved on 7 September 2016.</ref>
* Six standalone public elementary schools<ref>"Écoles élémentaires." Meudon. p. [http://www.meudon.fr/etablissements/ecoles-elementaires-1394.html 1]. Retrieved on 7 September 2016.</ref>
* Three junior high schools: Collège Armande Béjart, Collège Bel Air, Collège Rabelais<ref name=Secschools>"[http://www.meudon.fr/jeunes/colleges-et-lycees-460.html Collèges et lycées]." Meudon. Retrieved on 7 September 2016.</ref>
* Two senior high schools: [[Lycée Rabelais]] and [[Lycée des métiers Les Côtes de Villebon]]<ref name=Secschools/>

Private schools:
* One junior and senior high school [[Institut Notre-Dame (Meudon)|Institut Notre-Dame]]<ref name=Secschools/>
* One elementary school through junior high school<ref name=Preschools2>"Écoles maternelles." Meudon. p. [http://www.meudon.fr/etablissements/ecoles-maternelles-1395.html 2]. Retrieved on 7 September 2016.</ref>
* Three preschools-elementary schools<ref name=Preschools2/>

==International relations==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in France}}
Meudon is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:

{{div col|colwidth=20em}}

*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Celle]], Germany
*{{flagicon|POL}} [[Ciechanów]], Poland
*{{flagicon|ISR}} [[Mazkeret Batia]], Israel
*{{flagicon|ENG}} [[Rushmoor]], England, United Kingdom
*{{flagicon|BEL}} [[Woluwe-Saint-Lambert]], Belgium
{{div col end}}

<gallery>
Celle Partnerstadt Meudon.jpg|Coat of arms at twin town [[Celle]] (Germany), granite artwork below signpost
</gallery>

== Cultural heritage ==

The Imperial Cedar ({{lang|fr|Cèdre Impérial}}), attracted the attention of [[Eugénie de Montijo|Empress Eugénie]] and [[Queen Victoria]].<ref>[http://phonebookoftheworld.com/imperialcedar/ History of the Imperial Cedar of Meudon]</ref> As of March 2021, the tree is in good condition, but it is threatened by real estate speculation. Another real estate project is planned for the historic park of the Napoleon III villa built by [[Charles Schacher]]. Both projects are controversial and have aroused local opposition.

==Personalities==
* American painter [[Abigail May Alcott Nieriker]] lived here until her death.
* French opera singer [[Émilie Ambre]] lived on an estate in Meudon, bought for her by her then-lover [[William III of the Netherlands]] in 1877.
* Artists [[Jean Arp]] and [[Sophie Taeuber-Arp]] were residents here from 1929 to 1940. Their neighbours were the artist and architect [[Theo van Doesburg]] and his wife, Nelly.
* Embryologist [[Édouard-Gérard Balbiani]] (1823–1899) died in Meudon.
* The 20th-century French lawyer and Islamologist [[Georges-Henri Bousquet]] (1900–1978) was born in Meudon.
* [[Louis-Ferdinand Céline]] lived here until his death, and is buried in Cimetière Longs Réages, Bas Meudon.
* [[Gregoire Defrel]], footballer
* [[Madame de Pompadour]] lived in the [[Château de Bellevue]], built for her by [[Louis XV]] in 1750; it was demolished in 1823.
* [[Lorenzo Callegari]], footballer
* [[Souleymane Doukara]], footballer
* [[Marcel Dupré]], perhaps the most famous French organist of the 20th century, lived and worked in Meudon. He transformed his home into a small concert hall; the current owners of the home still hold public concerts there.<ref>[http://www.marceldupre.org/index.html l'Association pour la Sauvegarde de l'Orgue de Marcel Dupré] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403052200/http://www.marceldupre.org/index.html |date=3 April 2011 }}</ref>
* [[Nicolas Isimat-Mirin]], footballer
* Welsh painter [[Gwen John]] lived in Meudon from 1911 until just before her death in 1939.
* Argeline Buise, the model for Gwen John's painting ''The Pilgrim'' (1920) was a resident of Meudon. Gwen painted her "again and again"<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-ZahMymu9w | title=At home: Artists in Conversation &#124; Celia Paul on Gwen John | website=[[YouTube]] | date=12 January 2023 }}</ref>
* Former French prime minister [[Lionel Jospin]] was born in Meudon.
* [[Joseph P. Kennedy Jr]], the son of the U.S. Ambassador in London, came to Meudon in 1939. During his short stay, he fell in Love with [[Aimée de Heeren]], a Brazilian Secret Service agent who had secret documents from Germany. De Heeren loved the "Cedre Imperial Meudon" - a centuries old cedar tree full of legends - and showed it to Kennedy. Their love story in Meudon had an impact on World War II, as Kennedy helped Aimée to influence President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], who initially wanted to stay out of the conflict.<ref>[http://joekennedyjr.com/ Joe Kennedy Jr.com, the oldest of the Kennedy Children - Aimée de Heeren & Cedre Imperial Meudon, a WW2 Love story]</ref>
* Photographer [[André Kertész]] took a famous photo of the train [[Meudon Viaduct|viaduct in Meudon]].
* Mathematician Charle-Michel Marle, born in 1934, has lived in Meudon since 1970.
* Philosopher [[Jean-Luc Marion]] was born in Meudon in 1946.
* Artist [[Jean Metzinger]] lived and worked in Meudon from around 1911, during some of the crucial years of [[Cubism]].
* [[George Simeon Papadopoulos]], OBE, Professor of History, Dep. Director of Education Department of OECD (1925–2012)
* French actress and model [[Clémence Poésy]] attended the bilingual alternative school [https://ecolelasource.org/ La Source], Meudon, and is best known for her portrayal of Fleur Delacour in the ''[[Harry Potter (film series)|Harry Potter]]'' films.
* The town has a monument to [[Rabelais]], who died here as [[Canon (priest)|canon]] of Meudon, where he held the benefice from 1551 to 1552.
* Art historian and curator [[Jean Robiquet]] was born in Meudon on 6 July 1874.
* Sculptor [[Auguste Rodin]]'s villa "des Brillants", now a museum of his art, is located here, as is his grave.
* [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] grew up at his maternal grandfather's house in Meudon, as recounted in his memoir [[The Words (book)|''The Words'']].
* [[Adama Soumare]], footballer
* Grand Duke [[Boris Vladimirovich of Russia]] lived in exile in Château Sans-Souci (in Bellevue) from 1920.
* German composer [[Richard Wagner]] was a resident (No. 27 Av. du Château), and composed ''[[The Flying Dutchman (opera)|The Flying Dutchman]]'' there.

==See also==
*[[Communes of the Hauts-de-Seine department]]
* A statue of François Rabelais by [[Georges Saupique]] stands in front of the Meudon town hall. François Rabelais was the parish priest of Meudon from 1551 to 1553
*[[Château de Meudon]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Meudon}}
* [http://www.ville-meudon.fr/ Ville de Meudon website]
* [http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20091010084737/http://www.musee-rodin.fr/meudo-e.htm Le musée de Meudon]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040208150529/http://www.obspm.fr/~unicom/visites/meudon.htm Observatoire de Paris] (Paris Observatory)

{{Portal bar|France}}
{{Paris Metropolitan Area}}
{{Hauts-de-Seine communes}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Communes of Hauts-de-Seine]]
[[Category:Hauts-de-Seine communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia]]