History
The settlement of Plessis was first mentioned in the 9th century. Well known residents in the 17th century include Colbert and Pierre de Montesquiou d'Artagnan who was the cousin of Dumas' famous hero. D'Artagnan built the chateau which is now used as the famous town hall. Other well known residences include Chateaubriand and Voltaire et Colbert.
In 1848 a restaurateur created a tree restaurant and named the area Robinson. This was thought to be named after Robinson Crusoe, but it was actually named after the Swiss Family Robinson. The idea of tree restaurants, named guinguettes, spread rapidly. Each Sunday, there was widespread dining and dancing. The atmosphere inspired many artists and songwriters.
The event has been revived in the last few years after having lapsed. It now takes the form of an annual Fetes des Guinguettes in June with people dressing up in Belle Epoque style and dancing in the Moulin Fidel park.
Links with Woking
The Woking link was formed in 1992 with a Charter of Friendship signed in 1993. Since then Woking Town Twinning members have regularly visited Le Plessis-Robinson for the Fete des Guingettes and Le Plessis residents invited to visit usually for Woking Mayor’s annual ball.
Three schools have established pen-pal links and football visits have been made between the two towns.
Location
The town is located 10 kilometres southwest of Paris. It is close to large urban areas and the most important economic centre west of Paris. It is ideally located right next to two motorways and is only 15 minutes from Paris and Orly international airport by rail. The rail links are excellent with the journey to Charles de Gaulle airport being less than an hour.
Population
The town developed rapidly at the start of the 20th century and the population now stands at 29,500.
Redevelopment
A new town centre was constructed in the 1990s. The town has a cinema, theatre and two libraries.
Education and sporting organisations
There are seven primary schools and three secondary schools. There are a number of sporting organisations in the area including an athletics club, martial arts, basketball, football, American football, gymnastics, karate, extreme sports, pétanque, rugby, tennis, table tennis, archery, triathlon and volleyball.
Business activities
There are three commercial zones in the area due to the proximity to Paris, land is cheaper and has easy motorway access.
The industrial zone is home to technology, aeronautics, pharmaceuticals and agribusiness companies. The zones are home to a range of international companies including Coca-Cola, Renault and Hewlett Packard.
Environment
The town is very green and still retains the charm of a country village. There are seven parks and gardens with 50 hectares of forests and parks.
More information
For further information relating to twinning, contact Chris Sansom, Secretary Treasurer.
Phone: 01483 726 974
Email: chris.sansom@phonecoop.coop