Montfort-l'Amaury

Sister cities

• Nickenich

History

King Robert II built a castle in 996 in the hills of Montfort. Montfort-l'Amaury was the stronghold of the Montfort family from the start of the 11th century. Amaury I built the ramparts. The Comté de Montfort was related to the Duchy of Brittany following the marriage of Yolande de Dreux-Montfort with Arthur of Brittany in 1294. It returned to the crown of France when Brittany became a part of France under Francis I. The castle was destroyed by the English during the Hundred Years' War.

Geography

Montfort-l'Amaury lies north of the Rambouillet Forest. It is located at the foot of low hills, at about 130 m above sea level. Montfort-l’Amaury has a land area of about 5.71 km², with an elevation of approximately 130 meters above sea level. As of the latest legal census, the population is around 2,790 inhabitants, giving a population density of about 489 persons per square kilometer. Additionally, the composer Maurice Ravel lived in this commune between 1921 and 1937 in a house called Le Belvédère, which is now a museum. The ruins of the castle founded around the year 996 and the church of Saint-Pierre are also notable landmarks.

Most-observed species

• Great Tit

  Parus major Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,322
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,185
• Eurasian Blue Tit

  Cyanistes caeruleus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,126
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,125
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,042
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  4,383
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  3,754
• Eurasian Magpie

  Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  3,694