ENGLISH
History of Issy
The etymological origin of the word “Issy” comes from the Gaulish word “Ceton”, meaning “wood, forest”.
A 5th century necropolis offers the most ancient archaeological remains of importance in the town.
In the Middle Ages, Benedictine monks encouraged the development of vineyards, which at the time took up 76% of the land under cultivation. Winemakers became important members of society and were greatly respected. In the 17th century, Issy became a "holiday resort" for the nobility of Paris, who built country homes here, and the town played host to a great many important figures: Henri IV, Saint Vincent de Paul, Marie de Médicis, the young Louis XIII, Madame de Sévigné.
Following the Revolution in 1789, agriculture declined whereas industrial plants grew in number (the Gévelot armaments factory, the Lefranc paint company, the Grenelle laundry, the Moulineaux brewery, the tobacco factory, etc.).
In the second half of the 19th century, a wave of immigrants from the countryside, attracted by the capital’s industrialisation, submerged the town: 3,626 inhabitants in 1851, 11,111 in 1881 and 16,639 in 1901.
From 1905, the army's manoeuvre field became the “cradle of aviation”. It was here that, on 13 January 1908, Henry Farman completed the first one-kilometre loop. Today, this airfield is the heliport of Paris-Issy-les-Moulineaux. At the turn of the century, two famous artists used to visit the town: Auguste Rodin and Henri Matisse.
At the start of the 1960s, a new urban landscape gradually emerged with the departure of the companies largely responsible for generating pollution. Today, Issy is home to the head offices of some major communication groups (Wanadoo, Canal Plus, Cisco Systems, TPS, Marie-Claire). Now a new technologies metropolis, the town has not forgotten its past or its environment. Quality of life is a priority: its many parks and its green space covering more than 10 hectares on Saint Germain Island, are proof of this.
A 5th century necropolis offers the most ancient archaeological remains of importance in the town.
In the Middle Ages, Benedictine monks encouraged the development of vineyards, which at the time took up 76% of the land under cultivation. Winemakers became important members of society and were greatly respected. In the 17th century, Issy became a "holiday resort" for the nobility of Paris, who built country homes here, and the town played host to a great many important figures: Henri IV, Saint Vincent de Paul, Marie de Médicis, the young Louis XIII, Madame de Sévigné.
Following the Revolution in 1789, agriculture declined whereas industrial plants grew in number (the Gévelot armaments factory, the Lefranc paint company, the Grenelle laundry, the Moulineaux brewery, the tobacco factory, etc.).
In the second half of the 19th century, a wave of immigrants from the countryside, attracted by the capital’s industrialisation, submerged the town: 3,626 inhabitants in 1851, 11,111 in 1881 and 16,639 in 1901.
From 1905, the army's manoeuvre field became the “cradle of aviation”. It was here that, on 13 January 1908, Henry Farman completed the first one-kilometre loop. Today, this airfield is the heliport of Paris-Issy-les-Moulineaux. At the turn of the century, two famous artists used to visit the town: Auguste Rodin and Henri Matisse.
At the start of the 1960s, a new urban landscape gradually emerged with the departure of the companies largely responsible for generating pollution. Today, Issy is home to the head offices of some major communication groups (Wanadoo, Canal Plus, Cisco Systems, TPS, Marie-Claire). Now a new technologies metropolis, the town has not forgotten its past or its environment. Quality of life is a priority: its many parks and its green space covering more than 10 hectares on Saint Germain Island, are proof of this.