Ablon-sur-Seine
Ablon-sur-Seine (, literally "Ablon on Seine") is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The inhabitants of the commune are known as "Ablonais" or "Ablonaises" Ablon has been awarded one flower in the "Concours des villes et villages fleuris" ("towns and villages in bloom competition"). Geography. Ablon-sur-Seine is an urban commune located some to the south-east of the centre of Paris immediately to the east of Orly Airport. As it is an urban commune there are numerous  roads in the commune with the most important being the D266 going north to the "Centre de Finances Publiques" and the D29 / D246 / D2498 which run west to east along the south of the commune parallel with the Seine. The main railway from the Gare d'Austerlitz to Bordeaux runs south-west through the commune, and Ablon station is served by regional express trains on (RER) Line C. The Seine river forms the whole southern border of the commune. The whole of the western border and the Seine are also the border between the Val-de-Marne and Essonne departments. There  is no bridge from the commune across the Seine. History. Ablon-sur-Seine is situated 4 leagues from Paris, that is . Henri IV, by the Edict of Nantes in March 1598, allowed Protestants to practice their faith outside the walls of Paris. He authorized the construction of a Protestant church at Ablons. There was a castle built in Ablon by Agnes Sorel and a Protestant church which was frequented until the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by the Reformed Parisians. The economic activity Ablon has always been linked to the river but a cropping part of its economy was  favoured by its loamy soils. It has been traditionally a residential commune, with the urban area mainly residential. Administration. List of Successive Mayors of Ablon-sur-Seine Twinning. Ablon-sur-Seine has twinning associations with: Culture and heritage. Civil heritage. The commune has many buildings and structures that are registered as historical monuments: Education. Public schools: Students in this commune are served by Collège Jean Macé (junior high school) and Collège / Lycée Georges Brassens (junior and senior high school), both in Villeneuve-le-Roi. There is one private school called Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart), which serves preschool through junior high  school. Cultural events and festivals. From 2001 to 2008, Ablon has organised various cultural events. An independent association, "It was once Ablon", organised these events to enable people to experience the history of the town and its inhabitants arouse a community spirit in Ablon people. Some events have left their mark on the town including the grand historical rally with themes such as "Discovering neighbourhoods", "the old trades of Ablon", "a Castle Mystery", etc.. Other cultural activities include the festival "Your Neighbours Have Talent", which hosted painters, sculptors, photographers, and musicians from the region. This festival also hosted young artists  from the National Conservatory of Paris, artists, and recent graduates from fine art schools. Another event highly appreciated by all generations of the city was "cyber-Ablon", organized over a whole weekend. This event allowed the even the oldest people to learn office skills such as Internet browsing, email, Word, Excel etc. and for younger ones to come together for network games. For 8 March, the association proposed an event to mark the International Day of Women's Rights (films, exhibition of paintings and photographs, conferences etc.). The municipal council took this activity under consideration. Dormant since 2008, the life  of the association has been suspended.