Maisons-Laffitte (Municipality, Yvelines, France)

Last modified: 2003-05-17 by ivan sache
Keywords: yvelines | maisons-laffitte | roses: 3 (red) | roses: 3 (white) | crown: mural (yellow) |
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by Arnaud Leroy

Source: Fabien Chébaut

• Presentation of the city
• Description of the flag

See also:

• France
• Yvelines (Department, France)

Presentation of the city

Maisons-Laffitte is a city of c. 25,000 inhabitants (called Mansonnais) located 25 km west of Paris. The city was built on the right bank of the river Seine. The neighbouring city across the river is Sartrouville.
Maisons-Laffitte is famous for its castle and its racetrack, which strongly influenced the development of the city.

The castle of Maisons was built under the reign of Louis XIII (1610-1643) for René de Longueil by the architect François Mansart.
René de Longueil (1596-1677) belonged to a powerful family of the noblesse de robe (i.e. bourgeois who were ennobled for services rendered to the State, as opposed to noblesse d'épée, the old aristocracy of maedieval origin). In 1642, Longueil was appointed President of the Parliament of Paris. In 1645, he was appointed Governor of the royal castles of Saint-Germain and Versailles, and in 1651 Surintendant général des Finances (i.e. Secretary of the Treasury of the Kingdom). In 1658, he was granted the title of Marquis by King Louis XIV.
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