Antony, Hauts-de-Seine

Antony () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Antony is a subprefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the arrondissement of Antony.

Watered by the Bièvre, a tributary of the Seine, Antony is at the crossroads of important transport routes, especially the main north–south axis, which has existed for 2,000 years. Little urbanized until the early 20th century, the city grew considerably between the two wars, under Senator-Mayor Auguste Mounié, from 4,000 to 20,000 inhabitants. In the early 1960s the population quickly increased from 25,000 to 50,000 to accommodate repatriated people from Algeria. Now incorporated in the Paris Metropolitan Area, it is particularly strong in education, with one of the largest private institutions in France, and in health, with the largest private establishment in Île-de-France.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Antoniens'' or ''Antoniennes''.

The commune has been awarded "two flowers" by the National Council of Towns and Villages in Bloom in the Competition for Cities and Villages in Bloom.

Geography

Location

Antony is a city in the southern suburbs of Paris in the Hurepoix and is the chief town of the arrondissement of Hauts-de-Seine - 12.2 km south of Notre-Dame Cathedral. Its altitudeGeographic presentation in the PLU
September 2006, Antony official website, consulted on 6 April 2012 . is 48m above sea level at the lowest point at rue Gabriel Chamon in the Bièvre Valley and 100m at the highest point in the Avenue d'Estienne d'Orves on the border with Châtenay-Malabry. Antony is at the intersection of three departments:
*Essonne to the west, Wissous to the east, and Massy to the south;
* Hauts-de-Seine, with the communes of Châtenay-Malabry to the west, Sceaux and Bourg-la-Reine to the north;
*Val-de-Marne, with the communes of Fresnes and L'Haÿ-les-Roses to the east

Antony is traversed by three rivers: the Bièvre River and its two tributaries, the Ruisseau des Godets and the Ruisseau de Rungis. One branch of the Bièvre upstream flows in the open through Heller Park in an area where the Bièvre is maintained by the Inter-communal association for development of the Bièvre Valley. From there it has been channeled and covered since the decision of the municipal council on 26 October 1950 nearly all the way to Paris. It then becomes part of the network of the ''Inter-departmental association for sanitation of the Paris agglomeration''. Since the early 2000s, the restoration of the open air to the Bièvre at Antony and downstream has been envisaged.The Bièvre to be restored to the surface in Hauts-de-Seine
, Hauts-de-Seine General Council website, consulted on 6 April 2012 . In 2003 this was done to Fresnes at the ''Pars des Prés'' on the edge of the La Fontaine district of Antony.

Antony is bisected by the South Parisian Green corridor which forms a portion of the ''via Turonensis'': one of four paths in France for the pilgrimage to Saint Jacques de Compostela.

Geology and terrain

The commune area is with the altitude varying between .

The plateaux of Beauce ends in the north in an area crossed by small tributaries of the Seine. Antony is located in the extreme north-east of this area, called Hurepoix.

The crust of limestone of Beauce ends with a ledge at the edge of the Bois de Verrières. It covers a thick impermeable layer about thick of sand mixed with marl from Fontainebleau which is itself resting on layers of green marl in which there are some areas of gypsum then finally blue marl forming the bottom of the Bièvre valley. These green and blue marls form a completely waterproof layer about thick. These set the date of these layers to the Tertiary period when the sea occupying the centre of the Paris Basin began to retreat.

The old village of Antony is located on the green marl at the edge of the outcrop of the water table. It was in the gypsum layer that, in Antony in 1807, Georges Cuvier discovered the fossils of an extinct animal, one of the first to be scientifically recognized - in 1796 Cuvier had been one of first to argue species could become extinct. Naming it '' Anoplotherium commune'', he described a mammalian ungulate herbivore with a long tail and the stature of a donkey or horse that lived 30 million years ago in the Late Eocene to the earliest Oligocene.

Climate

Antony climate type is of degraded oceanic. The most commonly used meteorological observation stations for Antony are those at Orly and at the airport of Vélizy-Villacoublay,''The Floods and Submersions of the Bievre''
23 August 2006, Ministry of Equipment, consulted on 7 April 2012 . both being communes located near Antony. The climate in the departments of the inner suburbs of Paris is characterized by sunshine and relatively low rainfall. The following table compares the climate of the city of Antony with that of some large French cities:

The issue of flooding in some districts of Antony and Fresnes, following clogging of water networks (i.e. stormwater, wastewater and the Bièvre) during violent storms (1982, 2001, 2008) returns periodically although a protection plan against flooding was made, either by the prefect or the mayor, in August 2006.

Channels of communication and transport

Roads

Antony is primarily served by the D920 road (formerly National Route 20) which passes along the entire length of the commune tracing
Y. Firino, ''Antony - Five centuries of Street and Place names'', APPA, Antony, 1998 . the route of the Roman road ''via Aurelianensis'' which crossed Gaul from south to north coming from Spain and going to Cologne.

Crossing Antony from east to west is the A86 autoroute which, since 1996, follows the route of National Road RN186 which itself traced the route of the road opened by Louis XV. The A86 is heavily used by Parisians during peak hours in the morning and late afternoon. It is a way of avoiding Paris by a peripheral route. Though it replaced the function of the RN186, the latter was retained as an urban axis. Parts of the A86 are covered or are in a tunnel at Antony. Work began there more than thirty years ago and was completed by the end of the 2000s. Due to lack of funding, construction of the southern tunnel of the A86 has currently stopped at the RER bridge. The drilling of the section between the Sub-Prefecture building and the RER bridge is still under consideration by State services.

These roads have very high traffic (20,000 to 40,000 vehicles per day) and cause nuisance to local residents. It is expected that eventually the RD920 will be converted into an urban boulevard.

Antony is also served by the A10 autoroute with an exit to join the RN20 and to enter through the south of the city.

Bicycle paths and pedestrian areas

In November 1989 a bike path running through the city inside the Green Belt was built for a length of . Since 9 October 2005 it has been possible to cycle inside the Parc de Sceaux, an area dependent on Hauts-de-Seine department but partly in Antony.

Given the density of traffic and as intended by PLU, a coherent easy circulation network consisting of areas limited to 30 km/h and cycling paths primarily to schools and colleges was created. A zone limited to 30 km/h is linked to a zone limited to 10 km/h: in this area priority is given to pedestrians as shown in the photo below.

Expansion of areas limited to 30 km/h is underway in all areas of Antony with the aim of gradually moving the whole city to 30 km/h except for the RD920, for which a redevelopment project is proposed for the creation of cycle paths.

The zones were defined in 2009 and most of the 30 km/h roads are accessible in both directions for cyclists.

Communal Transport

Antony is connected to the RER network through six stations:
;five stations on the RER Line B
These are, from north to south:
*Parc de Sceaux
* La Croix de Berny
* Antony
* Fontaine Michalon
* Les Baconnets

The first three stations are in zone 3 for the navigo pass, the other two are in zone 4. Antony station is the most important and was completely rebuilt and returned to service in June 2002. It includes both the station for RER line B, the terminus for 13 bus routes and the terminal of Orlyval. A taxi rank and two bicycle parking garages are nearby. Approximately 25,000 passengers pass through this transport axis every day.

;Chemin d'Antony
A station on RER Line C in zone 4.

Many bus routes connect Antony to Paris and neighbouring communes via bus networks in the Île-de-France:
*10 routes of RATP bus network: TVM, 119, 196, 197, 286, 297, 319, 379, 395, and 396;
*8 routes of the ''Paladin'' bus network: 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 12, and 13;
*2 routes of the ''Daniel Meyer'' bus network: DM151 and DM152;
*2 routes of Noctilien: N21 and N71

Since 21 July 2007 the city of Antony has been served by the ''Trans-Val-de-Marne'' (Tvm) through the RER station of La Croix de Berny. This rapid transit bus service has its own Bus lanes and links Antony to the Saint-Maur-Créteil railway station providing access to the limits of the region to the east such as Créteil, the Rungis International Market, The Belle Épine commercial centre, and Choisy-le-Roi.

Planned for 2020, the Antony-Clamart Tramway will connect La Croix de Berny railway station to Clamart - Place du Garde.

Rail transport

By RER Line B Antony is near Paris railway stations. Through Antony station the Gare du Nord and the Gare de Lyon can be reached in 28 minutes (direct connection to the RER) and the Gare Saint-Lazare railway station in 32 minutes. Antony is also very close to the Massy TGV railway station which can be reached in 5 minutes by RER. This station has the distinction of being both one of the new stations of Île-de-France served by inter-provincial TGV and also a new station for the LGV Atlantique radial line. Thus certain trains serve both the Paris-Montparnasse railway station and this station which makes it useful for going to Paris to take the TGV.

RER line C also passes through Antony (the Massy-Pontoise branch) but it is significantly underutilized as serving suburbs because of its simultaneous use as a connecting link for the TGV between the South-West network and the North network as well as having many heavy freight trains. Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) has proposed the creation of a third line on the right of way to facilitate the coexistence of three types of rail traffic, but in the absence of specific guarantees of soundproofing measures the project has been rejected both by the residents' associations and by the Antony council.

Air transport and airport access

Antony is near Orly Airport. Since 2 October 1991 it can be reached in seven minutes by Orlyval, a narrow-gauge light railway of VAL type from the Antony RER B railway station. The use of this line is provided by RATP and it has special pricing that does not include it in the package for the Navigo pass.

Town planning

Urban Morphology

INSEE divided the commune into four "large quarters" called Croix de Berny, Rabats, Baconnets, and Centre-ville which were themselves cut into 27 grouped blocks for statistical information.

Antony revised its local urban plan (PLU)On POS at PLU
, Official Antony website, consulted on 8 April 2012 . in 2007 based on the findings of a survey conducted in 2004 among residents and the results have been an organisation and sustainable development plan (PADD). The development of this PLU ended with the adoption of the final draft by a vote of the City Council on 30 May 2008. The main direction for the PLU was a balanced urban development, a dynamic economy, developing public facilities, and to preserve a framework for a quality living environment with improved movement of people. This vision has however been challenged by a preceding public inquiry. The municipality indicated that the city enjoyed a lifestyle that should be preserved: a rich natural heritage, green spaces, a diverse architectural heritage (the old stone quarry, individual art nouveau houses, art deco and modern architecture), an ancient well-developed heart with many rows of trees and woodlands but, paradoxically, part of the suburban area was transferred into a zone where dense building development became possible.PLU: report of the Commissioners-Investigators (Vol. 1)
, PS section of Antony website, consulted on 8 April 2012 .

The PLU (the subject of a draft amendment in 2012)Public Enquiry - Plan for modification of the PLU
, Official Antony website, consulted on 8 April 2012 . defined the segmentation of the commune into 9 districts: Croix de Berny / La Fontaine, Coulée verte, Centre-ville / Hôtel de ville, Centre-ville / Mounié, Pajeaud, Paul-Bert, Noyer-Doré / Baconnets, Rabats, and Industrial Zones. Antony has of streets of which are local roads, departmental and national roads for which the city is responsible for maintenance, and of private roads.

Housing

To cope with the increasing number of people since the 1950s two interesting ''Castors'' (self-construction cooperative) experiments took place in Antony in 1953 and 1954.''Life in Antony'', Official Municipal Bulletin, Antony, Monthly review, No. 173, June 2003 The ''Castor'' was responsible to build his own home there and to pay close attention. After the Second World War, before the housing shortage, the French decided to build their own houses by joining in anonymous cooperative societies. Thus companies were created, such as "The Cricket of Île-de-France" and "The Castors of Bièvre". In 1953, the ''Company of Counters'' of Montrouge which had allotments at Antony (located behind the square Marc Sangnier on the border with Fresnes) offered its employees to sell the land at a nominal price. Nearly 150 houses were built between 1953 and 1957. Their owners were fully invested in these constructions, working on weekends and after their workday. The rules were very strict: rest was only allowed one Sunday per month and only during a week of paid leave. The allocation of houses to employees was made by lot, one each until every house was built. Many houses are still occupied by the original ''Castor''.

The housing seen in Antony today represents a diversified heritage: ancient houses in quarry stone, individual Art Nouveau house, Art Deco houses, and contemporary architecture. Buildings built in the 1960s are being renovated while in recent years small buildings have replaced the old houses along the RD920 (ex-RN20) to achieve a continuous frontage. In a survey by the weekly '' Le Point'' on the cities of France "where we saw the best", Antony is very well ranked in almost all areas studied, notably in first position for housing. In 2017 in Antony there were 28,841 housing units including 26,734 primary homes or 92.7% of all dwellings. Second homes and casual accommodation numbered 424 units or 1.5% of the total. The number of vacant houses totaled 1,684 or 5.8%. Of all of these units there were 9,275 individual houses (32.2%) and 19,394 units in shared buildings (67.2%).Dossier complet, Commune d'Antony (92002)
29 June 2020, INSEE website, consulted on 2 September 2020 .

The average number of occupants per dwelling decreased sharply: 3.24 in 1968, 2.65 in 1982 and 2.43 in 1999. The number of households of one or two persons increased between 1982 and 1999 and had an influence on the consumption of housing land, especially in the outer areas. Thus as the number of households increases the commune needs more housing to accommodate the same number of inhabitants.

The primary residences are relatively recent: in 2017, 2,731 units or 10.4% predated 1945, 9,035 dated from the period between 1946 and 1970 (34.4%); 7,337 dated from 1971 to 1990 (27.9%), and 4,042 dated from 1991 to 2005 (15.4%). As for the number of rooms in these houses, 7.4% had one room, 14.4% had two rooms, 27.6% had three rooms, 23.1% had four rooms, and 27.5% had five or more rooms.

In Antony the average price of real estate for sale in 2008 was about 4,270 euros/m2 and the average price of property for rent was EUR 17.39/m2/month. The suburban area covers of the city with a coefficient of occupation of land of 0.7. The municipality claims to be seeking to enforce a rule of 20% social housing but the communal social housing policy was challenged by an inter-ministerial mission during the summer of 2008. Many projects to rehabilitate social housing are underway but since 1990 there has been more destruction of social housing than creation. This is particularly the case in the construction of the "Grand Ensemble", "Parvis" (Breuil, Bièvre), "White City", and "Guillebaud City". The municipality also highlighted the renovation of buildings along the RD920 (ex RN20) to promote a continuous frontage and dormant urbanisation spaces which is presented as an attempt to maintain the number of inhabitants despite the national trend of decline in the number of people per family.

Development projects

The two main urbanisation operations in Antony are in the quarter of Croix-de-Berny and Noyer-Doré. Organized by the law No. 2003-710 of 1 August 2003. The national urban renewal program provided an unprecedented national effort to renovate districts in difficulty. It is in this context that the Noyer-Dore district, in the south of Antony, is under renovation. The PLU also provided for two new urban developments: the development of the Bas-Graviers/Crocheteurs district along the A86 and to the east of the city, the development of the Cemagref land near the Descartes school.

The development work in Croix de Berny began in the 1970s with the creation of the A86 then its partial covering. Important work has been undertaken to extend to 2 lanes the 2 tunnels on the A86, its extension to 2 lanes in 3 tunnels is envisaged. The land near the square, which was occupied until 1989 by the sub-prefecture, was ceded to the city of Antony who built office buildings. The layout of the site itself began in the 2000s by installing a fountain in diameter whose style and cost have been variously appreciated.

The roofing of the A86 was provisionally completed in 2008. State services are currently working on the completion of the project "Tube South-west" which should finally complete the doubling of the tunnel of Croix de Berny commissioning with two lanes in three tunnels.

The renovation of the district of Noyer-Dore, planned for a decade, began in March 2001 with the destruction of several buildings (including "The Big L" built in the 1960s). This district, always characterized by geographic isolation from the rest of the commune and a deficit in public facilities and shops, is part of the sensitive urban zone called "The Grand ensemble", a zone spread across the communes of Antony and Massy.

Toponymy

It was in a confirmation by King Louis I the Pious made for the monks of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 829, that the toponym ''Antony'' is mentioned for the first time as ''Antoniacum'' meaning "estate of Antonius", a Gallo-Roman landowner. Then it was attested in the forms: ''Anthoniaco'', ''Anthognyaco'', ''Antongni'', ''Antoni'', and ''Antony'' from the 18th century with the exception of a brief period during the French Revolution when it took the name of ''Antony-Révolution''.Collective work, ''Antony, from its origin to modern times'', éd. Connaissance d'Antony, Antony, 1987, p. 21.

The known origin of the city dates back to the 3rd century. The name ''Antony'' is a Gallo-Roman formation and comes from the Latin anthroponym ''Antonius'' (giving ''Antoine'', worn by a native), followed by the suffix ''-acum'' of Gallic origin. A Homonym with Antogny, Antoigné, and Antoigny ''*ANTONIACU''.

History

Related article: Île-de-France.

Antony has a long history, dating from the 3rd century in the Gallo-Roman era. Its history merges with that of the Royal Domain formed in the 10th century by the Capetian kings, which gave rise to the Île-de-France region.

Prehistoric and Gallo-Roman era

In prehistoric times people settled along the edges of the plateau overlooking the valley. The remains of their settlements are still visible in the ''Bois de Verrières''. The selection of sites was from the beginning conditioned by water and access. The village that later gave birth to Antony was installed in a location conducive to human settlement: a hillside site with many advantages—easy to protect because of its height with richer soil than that on the plateau and in an area not subject to flooding as it was above the marshes but at the level of water sources that rise from the green marl. The many fountains in Rue de l'Eglise and the Avenue du Bois-de-Verrières and the place names (Sources, Gouttieres) attest to the existence of this Water table.

In 1852, when the cemetery was being moved from in front of the church, sarcophagi were discovered that were originally supposed to be Frankish or Merovingian. It may be that people have lived around the Gallo-Roman villa since ancient times.

Antony from the 10th to the 15th centuries

From the 10th to the 15th century the Lordship of Antony was one of the main dependencies of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The location at Antony had a ford called ''Pont-aux-Ânes'' (Bridge of the Asses) from Roman and medieval times. This hillside location provided Antony with a connection with Montlhéry, a stronghold which monitored the southern approaches to Paris. Antony also had a small fortress, the ''Tour d'Argent'' (Tower of Silver) which was located in the upper part of the village in a position overlooking the ford and possibly serving a defensive function.

In 1042, the King of France, Henri I, accorded the abbot of Saint-Germain des Près "an altar dedicated to Saint Saturnin and located in the territory of Paris, in the jurisdiction called Paris".

In 1177 in recognition of the importance of the village Antony chapel became a parish church. The people were then all serfs of the Abbey. City dwellers then began to get communal Charters and those campaigns began the great liberation movement that led to the emancipation of the serfs.

The decisive date was in 1248: Thomas de Mauleon, the Abbot of Saint-Germain des Près, freed his serfs in Antony and Verrières. Many expenses still faced these farmers: they had to pay an annual rent, tithes for the mills, ovens, and presses, and also provide Corvées or unpaid labour, such as cleaning the Bièvre every three years.

The Kings of France had the right of accommodation in Antony. Under Louis IX there were lawsuits against people who refused to submit to this law. They were condemned.

During the 14th and 15th centuries Antony had troubles from the Hundred Years War then the Armagnac–Burgundian Civil War: plagues, famine and devastation. At the end of this long period, the Abbey was crushed by debt and the region was emptied of its inhabitants. There were only 100 inhabitants left in Antony at the end of the wars.

In 1346 King Philip of Valois, on his way to the feast of the Assumption, camped in Antony believing that Edward III, King of England, would pass through there on his way to Flanders. The prince waited in vain for two days, the King of England having passed through Poissy heading towards Beauvais.

The opening up (16th to 18th centuries)

The road from Paris to Orléans: it crossed the Bièvre at the ''Pont d'Antony'' from which a path led to the centre of the village near the church of Saint-Saturnin. The development of this road led to the development of the city.

In 1545 François I, while at prayers with Cardinal de Tournon, Commendatory abbot of Saint Germain, gave letters patent for the establishment of fairs at Antony on Thursday after Pentecost and on Saint Catherine's day (25 November) as well as a market every Thursday.

The famous top-quality candle maker Trudon was established here in 1737 after buying the business established in 1702 from Pean de Saint Gilles, wax supplier to the King.

At the end of the 17th century and early in the 18th century, Antony became a holiday town close to Paris: La Fontaine and Charles Perrault took their summer quarters there. This is also the period during which many mansions were built by notable Parisian who came to Antony for the countryside just outside Paris. Most mansions still remained in the middle of the 20th century: the old castle, the property of the actor François Molé, the folly of the Castries family in Heller Park now demolished but an outbuilding remains, the house of the ''Belle Levantine'' (now the Maison Saint-Jean), the property of the Ladies of Saint Raphael, and the property of Ballainvilliers purchased in 1860 by the surgeon Alfred Velpeau.

Development in the 19th century

Antony remained predominantly agricultural until the early 20th century. Le Petit Journal wrote in 1922: "The pretty commune of Antony is one of those, in the suburbs of Paris, where agriculture is still the most thriving". The city was known for its coaching inn for horses that welcomed travelers at the crossroads called "Croix de Berny" because it was at the intersection of the royal road, dating from the 18th century, leading from Versailles to Choisy-le-Roi, and the road from Paris to Orléans

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