Le Blanc-Mesnil

{{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located Template:Convert from the center of Paris, between Charles de Gaulle Airport and Le Bourget Airport.

Name

The name Le Blanc-Mesnil was recorded for the first time in the 11th century as {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. This name is a compound of Medieval Latin {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, meaning 'little houses', from Latin {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (accusative {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), and of Germanic (Old Frankish) {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, meaning 'glossy, shining, white', which gave French {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ('white') and English blank.

The name is interpreted by some as a reference to the houses of Le Blanc-Mesnil which were whitened due to the flour dust coming from the windmills located there in ancient times. One researcher, however, thinks that {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} had also the meaning of 'free' in Old French, and so the name would mean 'free mesnil, free village', perhaps because the villagers had been freed from serfdom. None of these interpretations is certain.

Geography

Nearest municipalities

• Bondy
• Aulnay-sous-Bois
• Drancy
• Le Bourget
• Dugny
• Bonneuil-en-France in Val d'Oise and Gonesse.

History

Prehistory and Antiquity

A discovery in 1984 concerning archeological excavation found three polished axes and modified flint attests a human presence in Le Blanc-Mesnil in the Neolithic period and the Gallo-Roman era.<ref>http://www.atlas-patrimoine93.fr/pg-html/bases_doc/inventaire/fiche.php?idfic=007s012 retrieved July 21, 2023.</ref> Shards of gallic ceramic were found.<ref>https://www.blancmesnil.fr/sites/default/files/histoire_du_blancmesnil.pdf retrieved July 21, 2023.</ref>

The Morée and Molette rivers nearby and the existence of an ancient Roman road support this theory.<ref>https://www.blancmesnil.fr/sites/default/files/histoire_du_blancmesnil.pdf retrieved July 21, 2023.</ref>

French Revolution

On 2 December 1792, a third of the territory of Aulnay was detached and became the commune of {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. The current Hôtel de Ville (town hall) was completed in 1967.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Economy

• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} in Blanc-Mesnil, Bourget and Drancy. It includes Centre Albert Einstein, created in 1987.
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• Garonor
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, for tourism business. Three hotels three stars, a Novotel hotel.<ref>Site de Hotels World</ref>

French and international companies

Several French companies have their world headquarters in Blanc-Mesnil, such as Forclum and Sicli.

Administration

Political life

The following political parties have a permanent base in Blanc-Mesnil:

• Parti Communiste Français
• Parti Socialiste
• Union for French Democracy (UDF)
• Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
• Groupe des Verts

Mayors

Since Libération Jean-Philippe Ranquet, LR, since 2021. Thierry Meignen, LR, 2014-2021. Didier Mignot, PC, 2008-2014. Daniel Feurtet, PC, 1989-2008. Robert Fregossy, PC, 1965-1989. Eugène le Moign, PC, 1945-1965.

Between 1860 and 1945 Maurice Lambot, 1943–1945 Alfred Dubuissez, 1941–1943 Bernard Legrand, 1939–1941 Henri Duquenne, PC, 1935–1939 Marcel Gerdil, SFIO, 1929–1935 André Neufinck, 1908–1929 Pierre-Hippolyte Jouslain, 1905–1908 Marcel-Edouard Renault, 1892–1905 Michel Renault, 1860-1892<ref>Archives municipales</ref>

Transport

Le Blanc-Mesnil is served by Le Blanc-Mesnil station on Paris RER line B.

Le Blanc-Mesnil is also served by Drancy station on Paris RER line B. This station (formerly called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}), although administratively located on the territory of the neighboring commune of Drancy, is the closest from the town center of Le Blanc-Mesnil and is thus used by people in Le Blanc-Mesnil.

The bus company provides 17 lines of buses to travel within the city.

Ideally placed at the junction between the A1 and the A3.

Template:Convert from Le Bourget airport, Template:Convert from Charles de Gaulle Airport and Template:Convert from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, one can easily get to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and Disneyland as well as the centre of Paris and the {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.

Religion

Catholic churches: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. Evangelic churches: {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

Education

The commune has the following schools: four preschools in the south, seven preschools in the centre of town, and six preschools in the north. It has four elementary schools in the south, six elementary schools in the centre, and six elementary schools in the north.<ref>"Les écoles." Le Blanc-Mesnil. Retrieved on September 4, 2016.</ref>

Junior high schools:

• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>"Collège Descartes." French Department of Education. Retrieved on September 4, 2016.</ref>
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

Senior high schools:

• Template:Interlanguage link multi
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

The {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} Jacques Prévert serves as the municipal library.<ref>"Médiathèque Edouard Glissant/Bibliothèque Jacques Prévert Template:Webarchive." Le Blanc-Mesnil. Retrieved on September 4, 2016.</ref>

Environment

Parks and gardens

• Jacques-Duclos Park
• Vineyards produces {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, a Chardonnay
• Vegetal wall of Forum culturel by Patrick Blanc
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}
• Square Stalingrad

Sports

Blanc-Mesnil Sports (BMS), founded in 2005, is the city's sport club.

International relations

Le Blanc-Mesnil is twinned with:<ref>Le Blanc-Mesnil official site, Les jumelages</ref>

• Sandwell in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom,
• Peterhof in Russia,
• Debre Berhan in Ethiopia,
• Beni Douala in Algeria.

For fifteen years, twinning between le Blanc-Mesnil and Debre Berhan has been based on the development: water sanitation, education, construction of roads. In a rare spirit, that of a collaboration of equal to equal.

Personalities

• Jérémy Abadie, footballer
• Adil Aouchiche, footballer
• Amara Baby, footballer
• Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, hockey player
• Jonathan Biabiany, footballer
• Jean-Felix Dorothee, footballer
• Abdou Doumbia, footballer
• Morgaro Gomis, footballer
• Raphaël Guerreiro, footballer
• Sylvie Guillem, star dancer at Paris Opera
• Patrick Hernandez, famous singer of Born to Be Alive
• Mickael Marolany, footballer
• Fabien Marsaud, known as Grand Corps Malade, slam poet
• Fabrice N'Sakala, footballer
• Moussa Sissoko, footballer
• Ludovic Sylvestre, footballer
• Tristan Valentin, road bicycle racer
• Élisabeth Vonarburg, writer of science-fiction

See also

• Communes of the Seine-Saint-Denis department

Bibliography

• Le Blanc-Mesnil et son passé, Ernest Soitel, 1969.
• Histoire anecdotique de Blanc-Mesnil, Albert Galicier, 1973.
• Le Blanc-Mesnil des temps modernes : 1935-1985, 1986.
• Le Blanc-Mesnil, Pierre Bourgeade, Gilles Smadja, Jean-Pierre Vallorani, Françoise Vasseur, 1992.
• Le Blanc-Mesnil : citoyens de demain, Patrick Laigre et Jocelyne Héquet, 1993.
• Le Blanc-Mesnil : 2000 regards, Photographies de Luc Choquer, François Crignon, Erwan Guillard, 1999.
• Le Blanc-Mesnil, Christian Massart, 2005.
• Twinning between Le Blanc-Mesnil and Debré-Berhan (in English and French).

External links

• Official website
• Forum culturel
• Blog du Forum culturel