Milly-la-Forêt

Milly-la-Forêt (French pronunciation: [miji la fɔʁɛ] ) is a commune in the Essonne department in the Île-de-France region in northern France.

Milly-la-Forêt
The town hall in Milly-la-Forêt
The town hall in Milly-la-Forêt
Coat of arms of Milly-la-Forêt
Location of Milly-la-Forêt
Milly-la-Forêt is located in France
Milly-la-Forêt
Milly-la-Forêt
Milly-la-Forêt is located in Île-de-France (region)
Milly-la-Forêt
Milly-la-Forêt
Coordinates: 48°24′18″N 2°28′04″E
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentEssonne
ArrondissementÉvry
CantonMennecy
IntercommunalityCC des 2 Vallées
Government
  Mayor (20202026) Patrice Sainsard[1]
Area
1
33.80 km2 (13.05 sq mi)
Population
 (Jan. 2020)[2]
4,620
  Density140/km2 (350/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
91405 /91490
Elevation60–135 m (197–443 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Geology

The Forest of Fontainebleau, in the western end of which Milly-la-Forêt lies, is composed of the Oligocene Fontainebleau sands, which are a marine deposit, laid down in an intertidal zone.

History

Milly-la-Forêt is the probable birthplace of Wulfram of Sens, Saint Wulfram; in about 640.

Origin of the place name

The first name of this domaine was called Maurillac in Gaul, Mauriliaco on a Merovingien coin, became Maureliacum, Melliacum in 667, Milliacum in Latin. The place name Milly is relatively current; it refers to an antic presence of a villa rustica owned during the Gallo-Romaine era by a certain Milius or Emilius. Hereby, the name was imported in 1080 by the knight Adam de Milly, originally from Milly-en-Beauvaisis and first lord of the place. But a charter dated from 651 mentioned already the name Melliacus. In the 13th century more accuracy was added to the place, Miliacum in Gastineto in 1267, which gave the name Milly-en-Gâtinais without being official. Upon a request from the municipal council and by a statutory order from 6 February 1948, the name was replaced by Milly-la-Forêt, considered at that time as the most touristic place and to differentiate it from its homonym Milly in Normandy.

The village

The market hall

Milly contains several facilities: such as the Collège Jean Rostand, the Conservatoire des Deux Vallées, a gymnasium and sports ground complex, a multimedia library, a swimming pool, a bus station, dealers in craft products and so on. There is a market every Thursday in the very impressive late medieval market hall, built in 1479.[3]

The yearly calendar includes attic-clearing sales; at the opening of the summer holiday period, the town celebrates la Saint-Pierre, a fair is organised and there are several fairground rides and other attractions, as well as cultural stands for the sale of specialist food and craft products.

Economy

Culture

Chapelle Saint-Blaise-des-Simples
  • Christian Dior and Jean Cocteau have made their homes here. Cocteau died in 1963.
    Towards the end of the 1950s Jean Cocteau decorated the chapelle Saint-Blaise, which dates from the twelfth century. His theme was those medicinal and culinary herbs on which the renown of Milly rests. He is now buried in the chapel.
  • Le Cyclop, a monumental sculpture in the forest of Milly-la-Forêt, constructed by Jean Tinguely in collaboration with Niki de Saint Phalle
  • the 15th century covered market

Twin towns

Milly-la-Forêt is twinned with the German town of Morsbach, situated in the valley of the Sieg to the east of Cologne and with Forest Row in East Sussex, England.

Famous people

Many popular characters are born, died or lived in Milly-la-Forêt:

References

  1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
  2. "Populations légales 2020". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 29 December 2022.
  3. Base Mérimée: Halle (ancienne), Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  • Dercourt, J. Géologie et Géodynamique de la France Outre-mer et Européenne 3rd edition (2002) ISBN 2-10-006459-2
  • Anon Carte géologique de la France à l'échelle du millionème 6th edition (2003) ISBN 2-7159-2158-6

All these links are in French (except for the second link which offers English, Spanish, German and French).

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