The Île-de-France region is in the north Of Franceand is also identical to the Paris metropolitan area. the Île-de-France is therefore also the most heavily populated region in France. The area of the area is 12,012 square kilometers on which about 11.7 million people live.
The most important city for the region is of course Paris. This is where most of the tourism comes from. But Versailles and Saint-Denis are also very important for Île-de-France.
The Île-de-France region is divided into the departments of Esonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-d’Oise, Val-de-Marne and Yvelines as well as the city of Paris itself.
Naming of the Île-de-France region
The name Île-de-France means “France’s island” in German. This is due to the location of the region. It is located right between the Seine, Marne, Oise and Beuvronne rivers. These rivers flow around the area like an island. This is how the name Île-de-France came about and used to be a simple name for the particular landscape. Historically, the name comes from the old Franconian name Liddle Franke, which means something like Little Franconia or Little France. Both variants are passed on by the respective lovers of the stories.
The history of the Île-de-France
Historically, the Île-de-France is the center or the heart of France. Most of the names for the area at that time were Francia or Franzien, from which the later France was derived. When Clovis I subjugated the region, the political rise of Île-de-France began. Since the 7th century, a political center of the country has been steadily and consistently forming.
The region’s influence grew. This is how the Gothic was formed herefirst and from there reached the whole country. The architectural style was practically developed here and then carried further. For a long time, Île-de-France was a pioneer in many ways. The region was particularly shaped by the typical Gothic architectural style that can still be seen today. In the past, the architectural style was only found in this area and was only available to a certain clientele as the French royal style. Not everyone could afford such a neat building.
The famous Versailles Palace, which was later copied several times, was built under the palace lover Louis XIV. He created a magnificent and unique castle that quickly had admirers and downright fans. This building is still an impressive piece of the architectural art of that time.
With the French Revolution, the status of the historical province that Île-de-France had until then was dissolved. When the departments were formed in 1789/1790, they were supposed to take on an administrative function and replace the previous units.
The current borders of the Île-de-France have existed since the program regions were re-established in 1956. At that time, the region was briefly named Region Parisienne. But in 1976 the Parissienne region became the Île-de-France. Unfortunately, not all territories of the former region were taken into account when the borders were rebuilt, and so the areas differ greatly from one another.
Like the other 25 regions in France, Île-de-France has had its own regional council since 1986.
Economy and leisure in the Île-de-France region From an economic point of view, the region is doing very well thanks to tourism. Although the economic crisis did not leave the service providers in this area completely unaffected, the region has retained the predominantly wealthy and well-off clientele.
