Every design for Meudon

How many towns this close to Paris can say that half their land is forest? Meudon can. The Meudon Domanial Forest covers the heights of the commune, while the town itself is built on the slopes below, falling away towards the Seine. From the riverside at Bas-Meudon the ground climbs steeply to the highest point of the inner Paris suburbs. The Gauls called the place Mole-Dum, a sand dune, and the Romans made it Moldunum.

Meudon tends to be remembered for its views and its quiet. The district of Bellevue, whose name means 'beautiful view', looks out over the Seine, and the Domaine de Bellevue recalls its grander past. Ponds such as Villebon, Trivaux and Chalais lie in the woods, and the observatory, dedicated to astrophysics and the study of the sun, has made the town's name among scientists. Auguste Rodin and Richard Wagner both lived here, and the Musée Rodin keeps the sculptor's memory alive. Older still, the Menhir de la Pierre aux Moines points to people living here since Neolithic times.

For anyone who grew up in Meudon, the map is a memory of hills: walks in the forest, the climb home from the river, and the Seine glinting far below.