Editing Le Blanc-Mesnil

{{for|the village and former commune in the Seine-Maritime|Blanc-Mesnil}}
{{refimprove|date=April 2013}}
{{Infobox French commune
|name               = Le Blanc-Mesnil
|commune status     = [[Communes of France|Commune]]
|image              = La Place de l'eau et la flèche de l'Hôtel de ville.jpg
|caption            = The view towards the [[Hôtel de Ville, Le Blanc-Mesnil|Hôtel de Ville]]
|image coat of arms = Blason Blanc-Ménil 93.svg
|map                = Le_Blanc-Mesnil_map.svg
|map caption        = Location (in red) within Paris [[petite couronne|inner suburbs]]
|arrondissement     = Le Raincy
|canton             = Le Blanc-Mesnil
|INSEE              = 93007
|postal code        = 93150
|mayor              = Jean-Philippe Ranquet<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=4 May 2022|language=fr}}</ref>
|term               = 2021&ndash;2026
|intercommunality   = [[Grand Paris]]
|coordinates        = {{coord|48.938725|2.461383|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation m        =
|elevation min m    = 37
|elevation max m    = 47
|area km2           = 8.05
|population         = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}
|population date    = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}
|population footnotes   = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}
}}

'''{{lang|fr|Le Blanc-Mesnil|italic=unset}}''' ({{IPA|fr|lə blɑ̃ menil|-|Fr-Paris--Le Blanc-Mesnil.ogg}}) is a [[Communes of France|commune]] in the northeastern suburbs of [[Paris]], [[France]]. It is located {{convert|12.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the [[Kilometre Zero|center of Paris]], between [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]] and [[Paris - Le Bourget Airport|Le Bourget Airport]].

==Name==
The name Le Blanc-Mesnil was recorded for the first time in the 11th century as {{lang|fr|Mansionile Blaun}}. This name is a compound of [[Medieval Latin]] {{lang|la|Mansionile}}, meaning 'little houses', from [[Latin]] {{lang|la|[[mansio]]}} ([[Accusative case|accusative]] {{lang|la|mansionem}}), and of Germanic ([[Old Frankish language|Old Frankish]]) {{lang|frk|blanch}}, {{lang|frk|blaun}}, meaning 'glossy, shining, white', which gave [[French language|French]] {{lang|fr|blanc}} ('white') and [[English language|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 {{lang|fr|blanc}} 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 {{lang|fr|Le Blanc-Mesnil|italic=unset}}. The current [[Hôtel de Ville, Le Blanc-Mesnil|Hôtel de Ville]] (town hall) was completed in 1967.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://journals.openedition.org/insitu/15728?lang=en|title="Une maison de verre, transparente et claire" L'hôtel de ville du Blanc-Mesnil (1967)|first=Nathalie |last=Simonnot|publisher=Lieux de pouvoirs. Architectures administratives dans la France contemporaine, 1945–2013. Avant/Après la décentralisation|doi=10.4000/insitu.15728|access-date=30 March 2025}}</ref>

===Heraldry===
{{Blazon-arms
|img1=Blason_Blanc-Ménil_93.svg
|legend1=Arms of Le Blanc-Mesnil
|text= The arms of Le Blanc-Mesnil are blazoned :<br />''Azure, a cross engrailed Or, a canton chequy argent and azure, in 2nd and 3rd a hand appaumy, in 4th a drageoir (sweetsdish) Or''
}}

==Economy==
* {{lang|fr|Parc d'activité du Coudray|italic=unset}}
* {{lang|fr|Zone industrielle de la Molette|italic=unset}} in Blanc-Mesnil, [[Le Bourget|Bourget]] and [[Drancy]]. It includes ''Centre Albert Einstein'', created in 1987.
* {{lang|fr|Parc Modus|italic=unset}}
* Garonor
* {{lang|fr|Pont-Yblon|italic=unset}}
* {{lang|fr|Centre d'affaires international Paris Nord II|italic=unset}}
* {{lang|fr|Carré des Aviateurs|italic=unset}}
* {{lang|fr|Espace Descartes|italic=unset}}, for tourism business. Three hotels three stars, a Novotel hotel.<ref>[http://www.hotels-world.com/tp.hotels/geo.1.2797853.Europe.France.Ile-de-France.Paris.Le_Blanc-Mesnil/Le_Blanc-Mesnil.htm Site de Hotels World]</ref>

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

==Population==

{{Historical populations
| align = none
| cols = 2
| percentages = pagr
| source = EHESS<ref name=ehess>{{Cassini-Ehess|4428|Le Blanc-Mesnil}}</ref> and INSEE (1968-2017)<ref name=pophist>[https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-93007#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE</ref>
| graph-pos = bottom
|1793 |120
|1800 |63
|1806 |83
|1821 |81
|1831 |96
|1836 |109
|1841 |95
|1846 |128
|1851 |119
|1856 |109
|1861 |105
|1866 |138
|1872 |128
|1876 |156
|1881 |166
|1886 |170
|1891 |165
|1896 |170
|1901 |213
|1906 |978
|1911 |1770
|1921 |3932
|1926 |10688
|1931 |19343
|1936 |21660
|1946 |18277
|1954 |25363
|1962 |35708
|1968 |48487
|1975 |49107
|1982 |47037
|1990 |46956
|1999 |46936
|2007 |50910
|2012 |52213
|2017 |56783
|2021 |58257
}}

===Immigration===
{{France immigration
|collectivity_name=Le Blanc-Mesnil
|census_year=1999
|metropolitan_France=72.5
|outside_metropolitan_France=27.5
|overseas_France=3.9
|foreign_French=2.7
|EU-15=5.5
|non-EU-15=15.4
}}

==Administration==

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

* [[Parti Communiste Français]]
* [[Socialist Party (France)|Parti Socialiste]]
* [[Union for French Democracy]] (UDF)
* [[Union for a Popular Movement]] (UMP)
* Groupe des [[Europe Écologie–The Greens|Verts]]

===Politics===

===Mayors===

{| class="toccolours" border="0" cellpadding="10" cellspacing="10" align="center" style="margin:0.5em;"
|valign="top" style=""|
'''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.
|valign="top" style=""|
'''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 (Paris RER)|Le Blanc-Mesnil]] station on Paris [[RER B|RER line B]].

Le Blanc-Mesnil is also served by [[Drancy (Paris RER)|Drancy]] station on Paris [[RER B|RER line B]]. This station (formerly called {{lang|fr|Blanc-Mesnil-Drancy}}), 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.

{{convert|2.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} from Le Bourget airport, {{convert|7|km|mi|abbr=on}} from [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]] and {{convert|4.5|km|mi|abbr=on}} from {{lang|fr|Parc des Expositions de Villepinte}}, one can easily get to {{lang|fr|Parc Astérix|italic=unset}} and Disneyland as well as the centre of Paris and the {{lang|fr|Stade de France|italic=unset}}.

===Religion===
Catholic churches: {{lang|fr|Église Notre-Dame|italic=unset}}, {{lang|fr|Église Saint-Charles|italic=unset}}, {{lang|fr|Église Sainte-Thérèse|italic=unset}}.
Evangelic churches: {{lang|fr|Charisma Église Chrétienne|italic=unset}}

== 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>"[http://www.blancmesnil.fr/les_ecoles.html Les écoles]." Le Blanc-Mesnil. Retrieved on September 4, 2016.</ref>

Junior high schools:
* {{lang|fr|Collège Aimé et Eugénie Cotton|italic=unset}}
* {{lang|fr|Collège Descartes|italic=unset}}<ref>"[http://www.education.gouv.fr/annuaire/93-seine-saint-denis/le-blanc-mesnil/college/college-descartes.html Collège Descartes]." [[French Department of Education]]. Retrieved on September 4, 2016.</ref>
* {{lang|fr|Collège Marcel Cachin|italic=unset}}
* {{lang|fr|Collège [[Nelson Mandela]]|italic=unset}}

Senior high schools:
* {{Interlanguage link multi|Lycée Jean-Moulin (Blanc-Mesnil)|fr|3=Lycée Jean-Moulin (Blanc-Mesnil)|lt=Lycée Jean Moulin}}
* {{lang|fr|[[Lycée professionnel Aristide Briand]]|italic=unset}}
* {{lang|fr|[[Lycée Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]|italic=unset}}

The {{lang|fr|Médiathèque Edouard Glissant/Bibliothèque|italic=unset}} [[Jacques Prévert]] serves as the municipal library.<ref>"[http://www.blancmesnil.fr/mediatheque_bibliotheque_2.html Médiathèque Edouard Glissant/Bibliothèque Jacques Prévert] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920140616/http://www.blancmesnil.fr/mediatheque_bibliotheque_2.html |date=2016-09-20 }}." Le Blanc-Mesnil. Retrieved on September 4, 2016.</ref>

==Environment==

===Parks and gardens===
* Jacques-Duclos Park
* Vineyards produces {{lang|fr|Clos blanc-mesnilois}}, a [[Chardonnay]]
* Vegetal wall of Forum culturel by [[Patrick Blanc]]
* {{lang|fr|Place de l'eau}}
* {{lang|fr|Jardin de Montillet|italic=unset}}
* 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>[http://www.blancmesnil.fr/les_villes_jumelles.html Le Blanc-Mesnil official site], Les jumelages</ref> 
*[[Sandwell]] in the [[West Midlands (region)|West Midlands]] region of the [[United Kingdom]],
*[[Petergof|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 (song)|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]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==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==
{{Commons category|Le Blanc-Mesnil}}
* [http://www.blancmesnil.fr/ Official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071008215318/http://www.forumculturel.asso.fr/ Forum culturel]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071012002141/http://blog.forumculturel.asso.fr/ Blog du Forum culturel]

{{Paris Metropolitan Area}}
{{Seine-Saint-Denis communes}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blancmesnil}}
[[Category:Communes of Seine-Saint-Denis]]