Houdan
Commune in Île-de-France, France From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Commune in Île-de-France, France From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Houdan (French: [udɑ̃] ) is a commune of the Yvelines department 63 kilometres (39 mi) west of Paris in the north of France.
Houdan | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 48°47′N 1°36′E | |
Country | France |
Region | Île-de-France |
Department | Yvelines |
Arrondissement | Mantes-la-Jolie |
Canton | Bonnières-sur-Seine |
Intercommunality | Pays houdanais |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2026) | Jean-Marie Tétart[1] |
Area 1 | 10.39 km2 (4.01 sq mi) |
Population (2021)[2] | 3,699 |
• Density | 360/km2 (920/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 78310 /78550 |
Elevation | 87–129 m (285–423 ft) (avg. 104 m or 341 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
The name has evolved from the Saxon "Hoding," meaning "settlement on the hill". Houdan is thought to have been inhabited since the 5th century. By the 12th century, two churches and a château were present.
During the Hundred Years' War, the town changed hands and was pillaged frequently. The town was destroyed; only the 12th century keep survives from that period. After the war, the town was ruled by the English until 1475.
Houdan is mentioned in the Prophecies of Nostradamus.
Houdan was a staging post on the road from Paris to Brittany, and many old inns are still standing.
Houdan was also an important poultry market for Paris and a breed is named after the town. The breed is ornamental, but is also used for its meat and white eggs.
It is the site of the Boldoflorine factory which over the years had transformed from absinthe distillery to producer of herbal remedies and tisanes. In the 2000s the factory was converted to residential use.[3]
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
1968 | 2,409 | — |
1975 | 2,873 | +2.55% |
1982 | 2,973 | +0.49% |
1990 | 2,912 | −0.26% |
1999 | 3,112 | +0.74% |
2007 | 3,181 | +0.27% |
2012 | 3,381 | +1.23% |
2017 | 3,640 | +1.49% |
Source: INSEE[4] |
Houdan station is on the train line between Dreux station in Eure-et-Loir, and the Gare Montparnasse in Paris. It is on the route nationale 12 connecting Paris with Brittany, which once passed through, but now bypasses, the town.
Houdan is twinned with:
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.