Chatou

Chatou (French pronunciation: [ʃatu] ^ⓘ) is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Chatou is a part of the affluent suburbs of western Paris and is on the northwest side of the Seine river about 14 km (9 mi) from the city's center.

Chatou
Commune
Church of Notre-Dame in Chatou
Coat of arms
Location (in red) within Paris inner and outer suburbs
Location of Chatou
Chatou Show map of France Chatou Show map of Île-de-France (region)
Coordinates: 48°53′23″N 2°09′26″E
Country	France
Region	Île-de-France
Department	Yvelines
Arrondissement	Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Canton	Chatou
Intercommunality	CA Saint Germain Boucles Seine
Government
• Mayor (2024–2026)	Michèle Grellier[1]
Area 1	5.08 km2 (1.96 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	30,054
• Density	5,900/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	78146 /78400
Elevation	22–58 m (72–190 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

History

On May 31, 1875, part of the territory of Chatou was detached and merged with a part of the territory of Le Pecq and a part of the territory of Croissy-sur-Seine to create the commune of Le Vésinet. It boasts many bourgeois mansions of every kind of architecture and owned by private individuals.

Avenue Brimont

Front view

Rear view

Chatou is the host of the Maison Fournaise, a meeting place for Impressionist painters in the past. It was a place where Pierre-Auguste Renoir painted numerous pieces (portraits of the Fournaise family, surrounding landscapes etc.), most notably the Déjeuner des canotiers (Luncheon of the Boating Party) in 1881. The painting is today part of the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C.

On August 25, 1944, in Chatou, the nazis shot 27 people, civilians and members of the French Resistance. This event is today known as the "Massacre des 27 Martyrs".^[3]

Maison Fournaise Restaurant

Surrounding area

Front view

Side view

Paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir

Luncheon of the Boating Party

Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise

Chatou is also the host of the MACS MTO.

Population

Historical population

Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 1,124 —     1800 926 −2.73% 1806 984 +1.02% 1821 993 +0.06% 1831 955 −0.39% 1836 1,027 +1.46% 1841 1,100 +1.38% 1846 1,200 +1.76% 1851 1,292 +1.49% 1856 1,422 +1.94% 1861 1,804 +4.87% 1866 2,662 +8.09% 1872 3,194 +3.08% 1876 2,956 −1.92% 1881 3,382 +2.73% 1886 3,921 +3.00% 1891 3,580 −1.80% 1896 4,171 +3.10%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 4,514 +1.59% 1906 5,483 +3.97% 1911 6,532 +3.56% 1921 8,036 +2.09% 1926 9,757 +3.96% 1931 12,023 +4.27% 1936 11,861 −0.27% 1946 12,811 +0.77% 1954 15,338 +2.28% 1962 21,655 +4.41% 1968 22,619 +0.73% 1975 26,550 +2.32% 1982 28,437 +0.99% 1990 27,977 −0.20% 1999 28,588 +0.24% 2007 30,063 +0.63% 2012 30,585 +0.34% 2017 30,253 −0.22%
Source: EHESS[4] and INSEE (1968-2017)[5]

Transport

Chatou is served by Chatou–Croissy station on Paris RER line A.

Education

The community has eight public preschools, five public elementary schools, and two public junior high schools. Schools include:^[6]

Elementary:

• Les Champs-Moutons
• Jules Ferry
• Victor Hugo
• Jean Rostand
• Val Fleuri

Junior high schools:

• Collège Paul Bert
• Collège Auguste Renoir

There are also the following private schools:^[7]

• École Jeanne d'Arc / Notre-Dame (preschool and primary school)
• École Perceval (preschool through senior high school)

Lycée Alain, a public senior high school/sixth form college;^[6] as well as Institut du Bon Sauveur, a private school with levels preschool through senior high/sixth form, are in nearby Le Vésinet.^[7]

Parks and recreation

Parks include:^[8]

• Parc des Impressionnistes
• Parc Auguste Renoir
• Parc de l’Europe
• Jardin du Sentier de la Côte
• Square Emile Pathé
• Square Réalier-Dumas
• Hameau Fournaise, Île des Impressionnistes

Notable people

• Virginie Augustin (born 1973), comic book artist

See also

• Communes of the Yvelines department