Courbevoie (French pronunciation: [kuʁbəvwa] ) is a commune located in the Hauts-de-Seine department of the Île-de-France region of France. It is a suburb of Paris, 8.2 km (5.1 mi) from the center of Paris. The centre of Courbevoie is situated 2 km (1.2 mi) from the city limits of Paris.
La Défense, a business district hosting the tallest buildings in the Paris metropolitan area, spreads over the southern part of Courbevoie (as well as parts of Puteaux, Nanterre and La Garenne-Colombes).
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Name
The name Courbevoie derives from the Latin Curva Via, meaning "curved road", it refers to a Roman road from Paris to Normandy that made a sharp turn to climb the hill over which Courbevoie was built.
Administration
Courbevoie is divided into two cantons: Canton of Courbevoie-1 and Canton of Courbevoie-2.
History
In 1606, after King Henry IV's royal coach fell into the Seine while crossing the river by ferry, he ordered the construction of a wooden bridge at Courbevoie. Rebuilt in stone during the eighteenth century, this was replaced by a metal bridge in 1942.
The Convent of the Penitents founded in 1658 by Jean-Baptiste Forne was located in Courbevoie until the Revolution of 1789.
In 1840, the body of Napoleon was transported from Saint Helena, where he had been exiled and died, to Cherbourg. It was then transferred to the steamer la Normandie and transported to Val-de-la-Haye, where it was transferred to the small ferry la Dorade and transported to Courbevoie. It was then carried by road through the streets of Paris.
During the repression of January and February 1894, the police conducted raids targeting the anarchists living there, without much success.
The Hôtel de Ville was completed in 1858.
Transport
Courbevoie is served by two stations on the Transilien Paris-Saint-Lazare network: Courbevoie and Bécon-les-Bruyères. Courbevoie is also served by Esplanade de La Défense station on Paris Métro Line 1, in the business district of La Défense.
Several bus routes also serve the commune and the nearby La Défense transport hub.
When it comes to air transportation, Courbevoie can be served by Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport as well as Paris-Orly to the south and Beauvais Airport to the north.
Education
Courbevoie has multiple preschools and elementary schools. Junior high schools include:
Collège Alfred de Vigny
Collège Georges Pompidou
Collège Georges Seurat
Collège Les Bruyères
Collège Les Renardières
Collège Sainte Geneviève
Senior high schools include:
École européenne Paris La Défense
Lycée Paul Lapie de Courbevoie
Lycée Paul Painlevé Courbevoie
Collège Les renardières et Lycée Lucie Aubrac
Groupe scolaire Montalembert
University of Pôle Léonard de Vinci
Notable people
Georges Lamothe (1842–1894), composer, pianist and organist
Henri Letocart (1866–1945), organist and composer
Hélène Krzyżanowska (1867–1937), pianist and composer
Albert Gleizes (1881–1953), cubist artist, painter, theorist
Louis-Ferdinand Céline (1894–1961), writer
Jacques Henri Lartigue (1894–1986), photographer and painter
Arletty (1898–1992), actress and singer
Roy Benson (1914–1977), stage magician
Louis de Funès (1914–1983), actor and comedian
Henri Betti (1917–2005), composer
Madeleine Kamman (1930–2018), cook, culinary teacher, and author
Jean-Pierre Worms (1934–2019), representative to the French Parliament
Michel Delpech (1946–2016), singer-songwriter
Michel Blanc (b. 1952), actor
Franck Tchiloemba (b. 1973), basketball player
Colomba Fofana (b. 1977), athlete
Lamine Kanté (b. 1987), basketball player
Massiré Kanté (b. 1989), footballer
International relations
Courbevoie is twinned with:
Enfield (London), United Kingdom
Freudenstadt (Baden-Württemberg), Germany
Beit Mery (Mount Lebanon), Lebanon
Demographics
Economy
Total S.A. has its head office in the Tour Total in La Défense and in Courbevoie. Areva has its head office in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie. Saint-Gobain also has its head office in Courbevoie.
The headquarters of INPI, the French government office for patents, copyrights, and trademarks, is in Courbevoie.