Saint-Cloud


Saint-Cloud is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthiest towns, ranked second in average household income among communities with 10- to 50-thousand tax households. In 2006, it had a population of 29,981.

History

The town is named after Clodoald, grandson of Clovis, who is supposed to have sought refuge in a hamlet on the Seine near Paris, then named Novigentum, like many other newly founded mercantile settlements outside the traditional towns. After he was canonized, the village where his tomb was located took the name of Sanctus Clodoaldus.
A park contains the ruins of the Château de Saint-Cloud, built in 1572 and destroyed by fire in 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War. The château was the residence of several French rulers and served as the main country residence of the cadet Orléans line prior to the French Revolution. The palace was also the site of the coup d'état led by Napoleon Bonaparte that overthrew the French Directory in 1799.
The town is also famous for the Saint-Cloud porcelain produced there from 1693 to 1766.
The Headquarters of the International Criminal Police Organization had been located at 22 Rue Armengaud from 1966 until 1989, when it moved to Lyon.

Main sights

The main landmarks are the park of the demolished Château de Saint-Cloud and the Pavillon de Breteuil. The Saint-Cloud Racecourse, a race track for Thoroughbred flat racing, was built by Edmond Blanc in 1901 and hosts a number of important races, including the annual Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

Tribute to Santos-Dumont

On the Avenue de Longchamp, in Saint-Cloud, there is a bronze statue commissioned by the Airclub of France representing the Greek god Icarus, in honour of Santos Dumont. The monument was inaugurated on October 19, 1913, and is on a square near the old Aerostation of Saint-Cloud, where Santos Dumont performed his experiments with the heavier than air. Dumont was also responsible for the construction of the world's first hangar in Saint-Cloud. Today there is a replica of it, in the same place, erected in 1952, because the original was destroyed for its bronze during the Nazi military occupation.

Transport

Saint-Cloud is served by two stations on the Transilien La Défense and Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare suburban rail lines: Le Val d'Or and Saint-Cloud.
The town is also served by a number of stops on the T2 Tramway, which runs along the side of the Seine.
Central Saint-Cloud, known as le village, is also served by the metro station 'Boulogne-Pont de Saint-Cloud', located across the Seine river on the Boulogne-Billancourt side of the Pont de Saint Cloud.

Hospital

Public high schools:
It is also served by the public high school Lycée Jean Pierre Vernant in Sèvres.
Private high schools:
International schools:

Notable births

Saint-Cloud is twinned with:
Saint-Cloud is the main setting of the 1955 French film Les Diaboliques.