Drancy is a charming French city located in the northeastern fringes of the bustling metropolitan hotspot of
Paris. The city is part of the Seine-Saint-Denis department, and lies at a distance of nearly 11 kilometers from the heart of
Paris.
Drancy is connected to the megacity by way of a well established railway network, and has a population of more than 66,000 people.
The region that is now referred to as
Drancy has its origins dating back to thousands of years. The factors influencing its present name point towards the history of the place. The name ‘
Drancy’ is believed to have two origins: firstly, it is supposed to have sprung from ‘Terentiacum’, meaning ‘estate of Terentius’. Terentius was a landowner of Gallo-Roman lineage. The other influence is that of the Medieval Latin word ‘Derenciacum’.
During the 17th century, the city of
Drancy consisted of two villages- Petit Drancy, and Drancy le Grand. Today, a part of the city of
Drancy belongs to the Canton of
Drancy, while the other falls under the Canton of Le Bourget.
However, the worldwide interest in the city of
Drancy is a major result of its history as a transit camp during World War II. The commune acted as a deportation camp for minorities like Gypsies and Jews, who would be finally taken to concentration camps located in Nazi Germany.
Apart from using it as a transit point, the Germans also turned
Drancy into a concentration camp. This was accomplished by converting the buildings in the southeastern part of the city into several such camps.
Between 1941 and 1944, more than 120, 000 Jews were stationed at
Drancy deportation camps before being taken away to Germany to be gassed. Max Jacob, the famous French artist, breathed his last in a similar
Drancy camp in 1944.
