Bondy is a suburb of
Paris. It is situated in the northeast and is only 10.9 km from Paris’ centre. It lies in the area of the
Ile-de-France.
Bondy is the department’s 9th largest city.
Bontiacum, the Roman name for
Bondy was seen for the first time around AD 600. This is translated as "estate of Bonitius". Bonitius was probably a landowner in the Gallo-Roman era. During the Middle Ages
Bondy was heavily forested. The forest of
Bondy, was an untamed wilderness inhabited by gangs of bandits and robbers. In the 11th century,
Bondy came under the ownership of the Abbey of Saint-Martin-of-Fields.
In 2005, in the centre of
Bondy, archaeologists discovered a necropolis believed to be from the Merovingian and Carolingian era. In these tombs objects were found, including eight scramasaxes (short sabres) and numerous plate-buckles made from bone and metal.
Bondy has gradually expanded as a suburb of
Paris with its population doubling by 1960. Because it is close to
Paris and has good transport links it is popular with people working in Paris, who wish to live outside of the centre and with tourists visiting
Paris's attractions, which are easily accessible form
Bondy, who prefer to stay in a quieter less expensive area.
Although a suburb of
Paris,
Bondy is an attractive town which retains a traditional French village atmosphere. It has many green open spaces which its inhabitants and visitors can enjoy. One such place is Le Bois de
Bondy, 10 hectares of wooded parkland at Rue Andrei Sakharov. In addition in 2006
Bondy proudly won its second award in the prestigious "floral Village" competition.
Bondy has a good mix of shops, both modern and traditional. There are several weekly markets including, the Marche Suzanne Buisson and the Marche Neuburger. There are good hotels, ranging from luxury to budget and there are plenty of bars and restaurants.
