The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering the communes of Courbevoie and Puteaux, contains a small part of the La Défense business district of Paris and some of the tallest buildings in the Paris region. Because the headquarters of many major corporations are located in La Défense, the court of Nanterre is well known in the media for the number of high-profile lawsuits and trials that take place in it. The city of Nanterre also includes the Paris West University Nanterre La Défense, one of the largest universities in the Paris region.
Name
The name of Nanterre originated before the Roman conquest of Gaul. The Romans recorded the name as Nemetodorum. It is composed of the Celtic word nemeto meaning "shrine" or "sacred place" and the Celtic word duron (neuter) "hard, tough, enduring". The sacred place referred to is believed to have been a famous shrine that existed in ancient times.
Inhabitants of Nanterre are called "Nanterrien(ne)s" or "Nanterrois(es)".
History
The sacred shrine of antiquity that is referred to etymologically had been placed by tradition in Mont-Valérien. However, archeological discoveries made between 1994 and 2005 found a Gallic necropolis which has been dated to the third century BC, and also call into debate both the exact location of the pre-Roman capital of the Parisii and the initial site of Lutetia, the Roman era Paris.[3] The large necropolis, as well as working people's homes from some time later in the ancient era, is near the bank of the Seine, in the northwest of Nanterre, and might be the sacred place that is being referred to etymologically. Lutetia is mentioned by Julius Caesar in 50 BCE, reporting an assembly in Lutetia in 53 BC between himself, commander of the Roman Legions, and local Gallic leaders.[4] Although this had been thought to possibly be Île de la Cité, largely since Caesar mentions an island, the river at Nanterre follows two channels around an island. In 52 BC, the Parisii took up arms with the Gallic war leader Vercingetorix, and were defeated by Titus Labienus, one of Caesar's legates. Caesar mentions in his Commentarii that the Parisii destroyed the bridges and set fire to Lutetia before the arrival of the Roman forces. The archeological work in Nanterre has suggested over 15 hectares (37 acres) of pre-Roman or Roman-era construction. These archeological findings may be an indication that Nanterre was the closest pre-Roman settlement to the city's modern centre.[5][4]
Sainte Genevieve, patron saint of Paris, was born in Nanterre c. 419–422.[6]
On 27 March 2002, Richard Durn, a disgruntled local activist, shot and killed eight town councilors and 19 others were wounded in what the French press dubbed the Nanterre massacre. On 28 March, the murderer killed himself by jumping from the 4th floor of 36 Quai des Orfèvres, in Paris, while he was questioned by two policemen about the reason for his killing in the Nanterre City Hall.
In June 2023, seventeen year old Nahel Merzouk was killed by a police officer following a traffic stop. His death sparked violent unrest around France.[7]
The rugby union club Racing 92 opened the new Paris La Défense Arena in October 2017 and played their first game in the new facility in December 2017.[15] It has a capacity of 32,000 for rugby and 40,000 for concerts. The venue opened as U Arena, but received its current name in June 2018[16] through a sponsorship deal with Paris La Défense, the company that manages the La Défense business district.[17]
Demographics
Population
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1793
1,991
—
1800
2,222
+1.58%
1806
2,340
+0.87%
1821
1,903
−1.37%
1831
2,500
+2.77%
1836
2,590
+0.71%
1841
2,792
+1.51%
1846
2,842
+0.36%
1851
2,770
−0.51%
1856
2,919
+1.05%
1861
3,549
+3.99%
1866
3,907
+1.94%
1872
3,944
+0.16%
1876
4,279
+2.06%
1881
4,984
+3.10%
1886
5,592
+2.33%
1891
10,430
+13.28%
1896
11,950
+2.76%
Year
Pop.
±% p.a.
1901
14,140
+3.42%
1906
17,434
+4.28%
1911
21,349
+4.13%
1921
27,042
+2.39%
1926
35,843
+5.80%
1931
42,978
+3.70%
1936
46,065
+1.40%
1946
41,860
−0.95%
1954
53,037
+3.00%
1962
83,416
+5.82%
1968
90,332
+1.34%
1975
95,032
+0.73%
1982
88,578
−1.00%
1990
84,565
−0.58%
1999
84,281
−0.04%
2007
88,875
+0.67%
2012
90,722
+0.41%
2017
95,105
+0.95%
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1 This group is made up largely of former French settlers, such as pieds-noirs in Northwest Africa, followed by former colonial citizens who had French citizenship at birth (such as was often the case for the native elite in French colonies), as well as to a lesser extent foreign-born children of French expatriates. A foreign country is understood as a country not part of France in 1999, so a person born for example in 1950 in Algeria, when Algeria was an integral part of France, is nonetheless listed as a person born in a foreign country in French statistics.
2 An immigrant is a person born in a foreign country not having French citizenship at birth. An immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still considered an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants.
^"La U Arena devient Paris La Défense Arena" [The U Arena becomes Paris La Défense Arena] (Press release) (in French). Paris La Défense Arena. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
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