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Fontainebleau

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Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located 55.5 km. (34.5 miles) south-southeast from the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sous-préfecture of the Seine-et-Marne département, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Fontainebleau. The commune done has the largest land area in the Île-de-France region, and is the only one larger than Paris itself.

Fontainebleau, together with the neighboring commune of Avon and three other smaller communes, form an urban area of 36,713 inhabitants (1999 census). This urban area is a satellite city of Paris.

Fontainebleau is renowned for its large and scenic Forest of Fontainebleau, a favorite weekend getaway for Parisians, as well as for the historical Château de Fontainebleau of the kings of France, INSEAD, one of the world's most elite business schools, and École Supérieure d'Ingénieurs en Informatique et GÉnie des TELécommunications (ESIGETEL) a French Engineering Grande École.

Inhabitants of Fontainebleau are called Bellifontains.

History

The preliminary of Fontaibleau, before the Treaty of Paris of 1763 ended the Seven Years' War

During the French Revolution, Fontainebleau was temporarily renamed Fontaine-la-Montagne, meaning "Fountain by the Mountain" (the mountain referred to is the series of rocky formations located in the Forest of Fontainebleau).

During the 1950s and early 1960s, Fontainebleau was home to the HQ Allied Forces Central Europe (AFCENT) and H.Q. Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE) (AIRCENT) located at Camp Guynemer before AFCENT was moved to Brunssum in the Netherlands and AIRCENT was moved to Ramstein AFB, in W. Germany, after President de Gaulle decided that he no longer needed NATO-controlled atomic weapons on French soil as France had now established its own nuclear arsenal under its direct control.

Tourism

Fontainebleau is a popular tourist destination; each year, 300,000 people visit the palace and about 11 million people visit the forest .

Fontainebleau forest

The forest of Fontainebleau surrounds the city and dozens of villages. It is protected by France's Office National des Forêts and is recognised as a national park that is managed partly to conserve its wild plants and trees (such as the Service Tree of Fontainebleau) and its valuable population of birds, mammals and butterflies. It is a former royal hunting park often visited by walkers and horse riders. The forest is also well regarded for bouldering and is particularly popular among climbers.

Royal Château de Fontainebleau

The Royal Château de Fontainebleau is a large castle where the Renaissance was introduced to France from 1528 onwards.

Other notable places

Transport

Fontainebleau is served by two stations on the Transilien Paris – Lyon suburban rail line: Fontainebleau – Avon and Thomery. Fontainebleau – Avon station, the closest station to the town center of Fontainebleau, is located at the border between the commune of Fontainebleau and the commune of Avon, on the Avon side of the border.

Famous Residents

Image Gallery

See also

External links



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Last updated on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 04:48:25 PDT (GMT -0700)
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