Colombes is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, 10.6 km from the centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the 53rd largest city in France.

Name

The name Colombes comes from Latin columna (Old French colombe), meaning "column". This is interpreted as referring either to a megalithic column used in ancient times by a druidic cult which stood in Colombes until its destruction during the French Revolution, or to the columns of an atrium in a ruined Gallo-Roman villa that also stood in Colombes.

History

On 13 March 1896, 17% of the territory of Colombes was detached and became the commune of Bois-Colombes (lit. 'Colombes Woods'). On 2 May 1910, 19% of the (reduced) territory of Colombes was detached and became the commune of La Garenne-Colombes. Thus, the commune of Colombes is now only two-thirds the size of its territory before 1896. The population data in the table and graph below refer to the commune of Colombes proper, in its geography at the given years.

Population

Geography

Climate

Colombes has an oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification Cfb). The average annual temperature in Colombes is 12.5 C. The average annual rainfall is 623.0 mm with May as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 20.6 C, and lowest in January, at around 5.0 C. The highest temperature ever recorded in Colombes was 40.9 C on 6 August 2003; the coldest temperature ever recorded was -15.0 C on 17 January 1985.

Administration

The city is divided into two cantons:

Transport

Colombes is served by four stations on the Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare suburban rail line at Colombes, Le Stade, La Garenne-Colombes and Les Vallées.

Education

The commune has 21 preschools and 19 elementary schools. Secondary schools:

Personalities

Sport

The stadium was built in 1907. Officially named the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir, the Olympic Stadium of Colombes was the site of the opening ceremony and several events of the 1924 Summer Olympics. The arena's capacity was increased to 60,000 for the 1938 World Cup. The stadium lost its importance after the restoration in 1972 of Paris' 49,000-seat Parc des Princes. In the 1990s, three of the four grandstands were torn down due to decay and the stadium's capacity was down to 7,000; later renovations have brought the current capacity to 14,000. Through November 2017, it had been home to the Racing 92 rugby club, currently playing in France's Top 14, but Racing has since moved to the new U Arena in Nanterre. The RCF Paris football club, which plays in the fourth division, remains at Yves-du-Manoir. The stadium will be the field hockey venue at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Twin towns