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Orsay
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>There has been a village called Orsay on this site since 999, and the first church there was built in 1157. From the sixteenth century, the town and surrounding area were owned by the Boucher family, and it was in honor of the family that <a href="/facts/Louis_XIV_of_France/2LseeIlj"> Louis XIV</a> gave the <i><a href="/facts/Quai_d%2527Orsay/zV7fTjBx">quai d'Orsay</a></i> its name. This is the reason that the <a href="/facts/Mus%25C3%25A9e_d%2527Orsay/JjVmhRfz">Musée d'Orsay</a> is not in Orsay. In the eighteenth century, the family of <a href="/facts/Pierre_Grimod_du_Fort/c2DMFbt9"> Grimod du Fort</a> bought the land and received the title of Comte d'Orsay. In 1870, during the Franco-Prussian war, Orsay was occupied by the Prussian army. 88 young "Orcéens" were killed in the First World War. </p><p>In 1957, largely due to the influence of <a href="/facts/Fr%25C3%25A9d%25C3%25A9ric_Joliot-Curie/qTYsRfqb">Frédéric</a> and <a href="/facts/Ir%25C3%25A8ne_Joliot-Curie/rhBlqKxf">Irène Joliot-Curie</a>, the <a href="/facts/Institut_National_de_Physique_Nucl%25C3%25A9aire_et_de_Physique_des_Particules/Dn4qcY6o">Institut de physique nucléaire</a> (nuclear physics institute) was opened in the <a href="/facts/Chevreuse_valley/fYLsqh29">Chevreuse valley</a>, and the region, especially Orsay, became an important scientific centre. Another development was the creation of the <a href="/facts/University_of_Paris-Sud/YxXpa3Vh">University of Paris-Sud</a>, whose most important faculty is the faculty of science. </p><p>On 19 February 1977, a part of the territory of Orsay was detached and merged with a part of the territory of <a href="/facts/Bures-sur-Yvette/Ck873oyp">Bures-sur-Yvette</a> to create the commune of <a href="/facts/Les_Ulis/mH40Epoy">Les Ulis</a>. </p> <h2 id="population">Population</h2> <p>Inhabitants of Orsay are known as <i>Orcéens</i>. </p> Historical population<table><tbody><tr><th>Year</th><th>Pop.</th><th>±% p.a.</th></tr><tr><th>1968 </th><td>12,087</td><td>— </td></tr><tr><th>1975 </th><td>13,530</td><td>+1.62%</td></tr><tr><th>1982 </th><td>14,057</td><td>+0.55%</td></tr><tr><th>1990 </th><td>14,849</td><td>+0.69%</td></tr><tr><th>1999 </th><td>16,236</td><td>+1.00%</td></tr><tr><th>2007 </th><td>16,411</td><td>+0.13%</td></tr><tr><th>2012 </th><td>15,880</td><td>−0.66%</td></tr><tr><th>2017 </th><td>16,421</td><td>+0.67%</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">Source: INSEE<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a></td></tr></tbody></table> <h2 id="education">Education</h2> <h3>Higher education</h3> <p>The <a href="/facts/Paris-Saclay_University/5d5XEYxe">Paris-Saclay University</a>, former <a href="/facts/University_of_Paris/yXAx8nlG">University of Paris in Orsay</a>, dominates the city of Orsay, providing the city with its distinctive <a href="/facts/College_town/PeCKFJpG">college-town</a> character. University buildings are located in the north of the city and the campus is divided between several other cities such as <a href="/facts/Gif-sur-Yvette/7fxoTBnD">Gif-sur-Yvette</a>, <a href="/facts/Bures-sur-Yvette/Ck873oyp">Bures-sur-Yvette</a> and <a href="/facts/Palaiseau/9TFCDFYX">Palaiseau</a>. </p><p>Colleges that are part of the <a href="/facts/Paris-Saclay_University/5d5XEYxe">Paris-Saclay University</a> in Orsay: </p> <ul><li><a href="/facts/%25C3%2589cole_normale_sup%25C3%25A9rieure_Paris-Saclay/QXh5AP61">ENS Paris-Saclay</a>;</li> <li><a href="/facts/CentraleSup%25C3%25A9lec/08H15Bzb">CentraleSupélec</a>;</li> <li><a href="/facts/Paris-Saclay_Faculty_of_Sciences/h3DT6tRc">Paris-Saclay Faculty of Sciences</a>;</li> <li>Paris-Saclay Polytechnic School;</li> <li>Orsay University Institute of Technology;</li> <li>Paris-Saclay Undergraduate School.</li></ul> <h2 id="transport">Transport</h2> <p>Orsay is served by two stations on Paris <a href="/facts/RER_B/DFXVkEUS">RER line B</a>: <a href="/facts/Le_Guichet_(Paris_RER)/Hv8D8nV2">Le Guichet</a> and <a href="/facts/Orsay_%25E2%2580%2593_Ville_(Paris_RER)/xqoK31IA">Orsay-Ville</a>. </p> <h2 id="neighbourhoods-of-orsay">Neighbourhoods of Orsay</h2> <ul><li>Le Guichet</li> <li>Mondétour</li> <li>Le Petit Madagascar</li> <li>Corbeville</li> <li><a href="/facts/Paris-Saclay/HzI7PXx9">Le Moulon</a></li></ul> <h2 id="nearby-towns">Nearby towns</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Bures-sur-Yvette/Ck873oyp">Bures-sur-Yvette</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Gif-sur-Yvette/7fxoTBnD">Gif-sur-Yvette</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Saclay/MypEe490">Saclay</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Palaiseau/9TFCDFYX">Palaiseau</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Villebon-sur-Yvette/Ht2u8ea0">Villebon-sur-Yvette</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Les_Ulis/mH40Epoy">Les Ulis</a></li></ul> <h2 id="places-of-worship">Places of worship</h2> <p>The territory of the city is divided in two <a href="/facts/Catholic_Church/rJ4F4gqH">catholic</a> <a href="/facts/Parish/6zgv12pD">parishes</a> which depend on the <a href="/facts/Diocese/Uts2PByI">diocese</a> of <a href="/facts/Roman_Catholic_Diocese_of_%25C3%2589vry%25E2%2580%2593Corbeil-Essonnes/CXe8lXfq">Évry–Corbeil-Essonnes</a> and the <a href="/facts/Deanery/jIjEg2Rb">deanery</a> of Yvette-Gif-Orsay. The parish of Ulis-Montdétour-Montjay serves the neighborhood of Montdétour, bois du Roi and bois Persan, while the parish of Orsay serves the rest of the city. These parishes have the main <a href="/facts/Church_(building)/gtw3YSsd">church</a> of Saint-Martin-Saint-Laurent, the <a href="/facts/Chapel/SreoramU">chapel</a> of la Clarté-Dieu and the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-la-Plaine at Mondétour. Additionally, the city has a <a href="/facts/Portugal/lYzwDQ63">Portuguese</a> <a href="/facts/Evangelicalism/64I65VDK">evangelical parish</a> and an international evangelical church: the église évangélique vie et paix. A <a href="/facts/Buddhism/G0wsjrSl">Buddhist</a> Khuông Viêt <a href="/facts/Pagoda/KekTlSK1">pagoda</a> is also located in the city. </p> <h2 id="civil-heritage">Civil heritage</h2> <h3>Forested areas</h3> <ul><li>The Bois des Rames around the university campus</li> <li>The Bois Persan</li> <li><a href="/facts/Parc_botanique_de_Launay/KdFgWd1d">Parc botanique de Launay</a></li></ul> <h3>Architecture</h3> <ul><li>la Grande Bouvêche</li> <li>la Pacaterie</li> <li>le Temple de la Gloire</li> <li>le château de Corbeville</li></ul> <h3>Notable residents</h3> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Adam_Allouche/ozL7vqbs">Adam Allouche</a>, swimmer</li> <li><a href="/facts/Mickael_Antoine-Curier/sYcNUKlz">Mickael Antoine-Curier</a>, footballer</li> <li><a href="/facts/Moussa_Badiane/q2MvyFy5">Moussa Badiane</a>, basketball player</li> <li><a href="/facts/Guy_Demel/M1Itey6n">Guy Demel</a>, footballer</li> <li><a href="/facts/Edward_VIII_of_the_United_Kingdom/SFwwJvnW">Edward VIII of the United Kingdom</a>, later Duke of Windsor after abdicating the throne and marrying American divorcee Wallis Simpson</li> <li><a href="/facts/Pierre-Gilles_de_Gennes/WW0RsM9p">Pierre-Gilles de Gennes</a>, Nobel prizewinning physicist, died in Orsay</li> <li><a href="/facts/Sega_Keita/2RGa0kgT">Sega Keita</a>, footballer</li> <li><a href="/facts/Oswald_Mosley/ep8N5CKl">Sir Oswald Mosley, Bt.</a>, leader of the <a href="/facts/British_Union_of_Fascists/TBeLbWQN">British Union of Fascists</a></li> <li>Lady <a href="/facts/Diana_Mosley/GMcKdNqj">Diana Mosley</a>, one of the <a href="/facts/Mitford_sisters/FgdFteYQ">Mitford sisters</a> and wife of Sir Oswald Mosley</li> <li><a href="/facts/Angelique_Spincer/fh7QVX6C">Angelique Spincer</a>, handball player</li> <li><a href="/facts/Teddy_Venel/rUet6gjE">Teddy Venel</a>, athlete</li> <li><a href="/facts/Wallis%2c_Duchess_of_Windsor/2a9tSjFl">Wallis, Duchess of Windsor</a>, American wife of <a href="/facts/Edward_VIII_of_the_United_Kingdom/SFwwJvnW">Edward VIII of the United Kingdom</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to Orsay. <ul><li><a href="http://www.mairie-orsay.fr/">Orsay official website</a> (in French)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Base_M%25C3%25A9rim%25C3%25A9e/v8tbMu40">Base Mérimée</a>: <a href="https://www.pop.culture.gouv.fr/advanced-search/list/merimee?qb=%5B%7B%22field%22%3A%5B%22INSEE.keyword%22%5D%2C%22operator%22%3A%22%3D%3D%22%2C%22value%22%3A%2291471%22%2C%22combinator%22%3A%22AND%22%2C%22index%22%3A0%7D%5D">Search for heritage in the commune</a>, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)</li> <li><a href="http://www.ume.asso.fr">Mayors of Essonne Association</a> (in French)</li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE <a href="https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-91471#ancre-POP_T1" target="_blank">https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-91471#ancre-POP_T1</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>