Saint-Mandé is a high-end commune of the Val-de-Marne department in Île-de-France in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located 5.3 km from the centre of Paris. It is one of the smallest communes of the Île-de-France by land area, but is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe. It is located on the edge of the 12th arrondissement of Paris, near the Porte de Vincennes and the Porte de Saint-Mandé. The motto of the city is Cresco et Floresco, which means "I grow and I flourish".

History

On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighbouring communes. On that occasion, about two-thirds of the commune of Saint-Mandé was annexed to Paris, and now forms the neighbourhoods of Bel-Air and Picpus, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. In 1929, the commune of Saint-Mandé lost one-quarter of its territory when the city of Paris annexed the Bois de Vincennes, a small part of which belonged to Saint-Mandé, leaving Saint-Mandé as a small rump commune after the territorial losses of 1860 and 1929.

Population

Personalities

Transport

The municipality is crossed by a principal north–south axis, the Avenue du Général-de-Gaulle (formerly Rue de la République), and by an east–west axis, the Avenue de Paris (RN 34). Another important and historical street of the municipality is the Chaussée de l'Étang which goes along the Bois de Vincennes. Saint-Mandé is served by Saint-Mandé station on Paris Métro Line 1. RATP buses include lines 46, 56, 86 and 325. The closest airport is Orly Airport, located around 17 km away.

Education

Schools include: Junior high school students are served by Ecole & Collège Decroly, and Collège Jacques Offenbach. The private school system Ensemble Scolaire St Michel de Picpus maintains a secondary campus in Saint-Mandé.

Twin towns

Saint-Mandé is twinned with: