Every design for Sartrouville

Sartrouville lies on the right bank of the Seine, in the northern part of the Montesson loop, with Maisons-Laffitte and its château just across the water and Argenteuil, Houilles and Carrières-sur-Seine as neighbours on the other sides. The river runs along the town for a few kilometres, and a bridge carries people over to Maisons-Laffitte.

What sets Sartrouville apart is a mix of ordinary suburban life and some unexpected distinctions. Its triathlon club, ECS Triathlon, is known all over the world and has collected Olympic medals. Its name goes back to a medieval Latin form, Sartoris Villa, whose meaning is still argued over: the estate of a Gallo-Roman landowner, or the land of those who cleared the forest. And for all its closeness to Paris, it keeps plenty of green space: the Parc Youri Gagarine, the Parc de Grétry and the Parc Victorien Chausse, with the Musée d'Histoire de Sartrouville telling the story of the place.

If you grew up here, the map will bring back the RER A in the morning, the evenings by the river and the view across to the Château de Maisons-Laffitte.