Imagine a quaint French village. Now, picture it near Paris. That’s Compans. But not just any Compans.
Compans. A commune in the Seine-et-Marne department. It sits in the Île-de-France region. That’s north-central France. The inhabitants are called Compannais. Let’s discover Compans together.
Compans spans 5.30 square kilometers. In 2022, 821 people called it home. That’s about 150 people per square kilometer. The town’s elevation ranges from 57 to 101 meters.
Compans sits on the eastern edge of the Pays de France. It’s close to the Mitry-Compans industrial area. Claye-Souilly is about 8.4 kilometers to the south.
The commune has 64 routes. Twenty-nine are listed as administrative places. Four waterways flow through Compans. The Beuvronne river runs 23.9 km. The Biberonne river extends 12.2 km. The total length of waterways is 2.94 km.
Compans experiences a degraded oceanic climate. The average annual temperature is 11°C. Rainfall averages 715 mm per year.
In 2022, Compans was classified as a rural commune. Its housing is dispersed. It lies outside any urban unit. Compans is part of the Paris attraction area.
Agricultural land dominates Compans. It accounted for 56.4% of the land in 2018. Arable land makes up 52%. Industrial and commercial zones cover 32.9%. Forests take up 5.5%. Urban areas occupy 5.2%.
The origin of the name “Compans” remains uncertain. It may mean “shortcut”. This comes from the Latin “compendium”. Another possibility is a variant of “compain”. That means companion.
Human settlements existed in Compans since the Neolithic era. Traces of protohistoric sites have been discovered. Small Gallo-Roman villas once stood here.
In the 12th century, the church and Hôtel-Dieu of Paris owned much land. Other land was divided among local lords. Families from Parisian administration gradually bought up the land. In the 17th century, Louis Boucherat owned it. He was chancellor under Louis XIV. Compans became a county in November 1670.
Compans was an agricultural village. Two mills operated on the Biberonne. These were the Condé and Ouacre mills. The Ouacre mill dated back to the 12th century. They stopped operating in the 19th century. The Ouacre mill was used during World War II. It supplied flour to the village. Locals say the town hall was once part of a farm. It belonged to Sully. He was a minister under Henry IV.
In 2014, Compans had 242 homes. Most were houses and some were apartments. Most residents owned their homes. A small percentage were social housing units.
Compans is near the RN 2. The D 212 road also provides access. Compans has a train station on the La Plaine to Hirson line.
The Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption church stands in Compans. It was rebuilt in 1867. The façade displays this date. A retable adorns the choir. Chevalier Boucherat donated it in 1699.
The Vallé des Noyers family built a château in 1866. It’s constructed of stone and red brick. It exhibits a neo-Louis XIII style. Today, it’s divided into apartments.
The arms of Compans are: Fessé de gueules et d’argent, au chef d’or chargé de quatre merlettes d’azur.
Compans. A blend of history, nature and rural charm.