Créteil (French pronunciation:[kʁetɛj]^ⓘ) is acommune in the southeastern suburbs ofParis,Île-de-France. It is located 11.7 km (7.3 mi) from thecentre of Paris. Créteil is thepréfecture (capital) of theVal-de-Marnedepartment as well as the seat of theArrondissement of Créteil. The city is, moreover, the seat of aRoman Catholic diocese and of one of France's 30 nationwideacadémies (districts) of theMinistry of National Education.

Créteil
Prefecture andcommune
Aerial view of Créteil, centered on theLac de Créteil
Coat of arms
Paris and inner ring departments
Location of Créteil
Créteil Show map of France Créteil Show map of Île-de-France (region)
Coordinates:48°47′28″N2°27′46″E / 48.7911°N 2.4628°E /48.7911; 2.4628
Country	France
Region	Île-de-France
Department	Val-de-Marne
Arrondissement	Créteil
Canton	2 cantons
Intercommunality	Grand Paris
Government
• Mayor(2020–2026)	Laurent Cathala[1]
Area 1	11.43 km2 (4.41 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	92,859
• Density	8,100/km2 (21,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	94028 /94000
Elevation	31–74 m (102–243 ft) (avg. 63 m or 207 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The name Créteil was recorded for the first time asCristoilum in themartyrology written by amonk namedUsuard in 865. The nameCristoilum is made of theCeltic wordialo (meaning "clearing, glade", "place of") suffixed to a pre-Latin radicalcrist- whose meaning is still unclear. Some believecrist is a Celtic word meaning "ridge", a cognate ofLatincrista and modern Frenchcrête, in which case the meaning ofCristoilum would be "clearing on the ridge" or "place on the ridge." A more traditional etymology was thatcrist referred toJesus Christ, due to the very ancient presence of Christianity in Créteil and the veneration ofSaint Agoard and Agilbert of Créteil, martyred in Créteil around AD 400.

Créteil is a city in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris. It is watered by theMarne river which carries out its last loop before the junction with theSeine at the Charenton-le-Pont. The area is an alluvial plain eroded by the action of the Marne and the Seine. Bordering communes includeMaisons-Alfort,Saint-Maur-des-Fossés,Bonneuil-sur-Marne,Limeil-Brévannes,Valenton,Choisy-le-Roi andAlfortville.

The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Créteil has amarine west coast climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps.^[3]

Some rare flints from thePalaeolithic age are still being found in modern times in the area. It is, however, a two-ton,Neolithic-era polishing machine that is the prehistoric pride of Créteil. The first documents referring to Créteil are from theMerovingian era, when it was known asVicus Cristoilum' The name comes from the prefixcrist andoilum. These two terms are thought to beGallic: "clearing" foroilum and "ridge" forcrist. The "clearing" of the "ridge" of the Mont-Mesly is on the road connecting Paris and Sens (Trunk Road 19 today). In 1406, the place name "Créteil" makes its appearance after successive deformations fromCristoill (1278),Cristeuil,Cresteul thenCreteuil.

During theFrench Wars of Religion (1567), theHuguenots plundered the church and burned the local charters. New disorders in 1648 forced the evacuation of the inhabitants of Créteil. The end ofLouis XIV's reign was marked by a great food shortage throughout the whole of France after a terrible winter in 1709 that resulted in 69 recorded deaths in Créteil. Registers of grievances from theFrench Revolution in 1789 mention Créteil 15 times.

At the beginning of the 18th century, construction of the first middle-class "Parisian" houses began. In 1814, the east of Créteil was taken by Russian troops as part of theBattle of Paris. The bridge which spans theMarne between Créteil andSaint-Maur-des-Fossés was inaugurated on 9 April 1841, replacing an ancient ferry.

TheFranco-Prussian War of 1870 was particularly cruel for Créteil. The borough was plundered and left in ruins by the Prussians, while the nearby battle of Mont-Mesly on 30 November 1870, left 179 dead.

L'Abbaye de Créteil or Abbaye group was a utopian artistic and literary community founded during 1906 named after the Créteil Abbey near to where some members lived and where the group held meetings. At the time Créteil was still mostly pastoral, some of which remains in the forested parkland of the riverside district on and around Ile Sainte-Catherine. Although the group was short-lived, disbanding by 1908, it attracted artists, writers and philosophers to become associated with theSymbolist andFuturist movements such asFilippo Tommaso Marinetti, author of theFuturist Manifesto, andConstantin Brâncuși.

Créteil gave up its pastoral character after World War II. The population subsequently rose from 13,800 in 1954 to 30,654 in 1962. In 1965, the city became aPréfecture of the new department of theVal-de-Marne. A newHôtel de Ville was completed in 1974.^[4]

Créteil Lake began as a gypsum and gravel quarry. Once thegroundwater was reached, forming deep ponds, the quarry was abandoned and allowed to fill with water. The lake area is now a popular recreational site attracting fishermen, boaters, wind surfers, etc...

As of 1 January 2006, 27pharmacies, about 60 dentists, about 60 general practitioners, 10pediatricians, and a half-dozen ophthalmologists and dermatologists constitute the general medical staff of the city.

Health facilities include:

• CHU Henri Mondor, a publicly owned hospital inaugurated on 2 December 1969. Conceived initially for 1,300 beds, its capacity today is 958 beds. It employs more than 3,000 people including more than 2,600 looking after patients. Its expenditure in 2004 was 241M€.
• Centre hospitalier intercommunal de Créteil, inaugurated on 3 November 1937. Capacity of reception of 530 in-patients as against 264 in 1937. The construction of this establishment was decided in 1932 by grouping the communes of the Bonneuil-sur-Marne, Creteil and Joinville-le-Pont within an inter-communal syndicate. Saint-Maur-des-Fossés joined this syndicate later. Originally, a number of the hospital personnel were religious sisters. In 2004, 38,037 hospitalizations were listed, with 2,551 childbirths and 12,838 surgical interventions. ] It employs approximately 2,000 people with about 1,600 of them caring for patients in medical or other capacities.
• Centre de Transfusion sanguine. The Blood Transfusion Centre of Creteil is run by the inter-communal Hospital. This service treats from 600 to 1,000 requests per day.
• Albert Chenevier Hospital. A publicly owned hospital, with a 463-bed capacity. There are 118 beds in the psychiatric ward.

Public schools:

• 24 preschools^[7]
• 24 elementary schools^[8]
• Eight junior high schools: Clément Guyard,Victor Hugo, Louis Issaurat, Amédée Laplace,Louis Pasteur, Plaissance, Albert Schweitzer, andSimone-de-Beauvoir^[9]
• Four high schools:Lycée Léon Blum,Lycée Édouard Branly,Lycée Gutenberg, andLycée Antoine de Saint-Exupery^[10]

Private schools:

• Ozar HaTorah (Jewish school, includes preschool, elementary school,^[11] a junior high school divided into boys' and girls' schools,^[9] and a high school divided into boys' and girls' schools^[10])
• De Maillé (elementary school,^[11] junior high school^[9])
• Lycée général et technologique de l'ensemble Sainte-Marie^[10]
• Lycée d'enseignement supérieur technique privé SUPTEK^[10]

The city hostsParis 12 Val de Marne University, officially the Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne University, founded in 1970. Previously known as Université Paris 12 Val de Marne or Université Paris XII, the university serves more than 30,000 students and consists of seven units of formation and research (UFR), namely law, administration, literature, medicine, business & management, educational sciences and technological sciences.

Créteil is served by four stations onParis Métro Line 8:Créteil–L'Échat,Créteil–Université,Créteil–Préfecture andPointe du Lac.

US Créteil-Lusitanos, founded in 1936, is the city'sfootball club. They currently play inNational Championship (3rd division) and their home stadium isStade Dominique Duvauchelle.

TheUS Créteil Handballteam handball team plays at thePalais des Sports Robert Oubron. The capacity of the arena is 2,500 people.

Créteil istwinned with:^[12]

• Communes of the Val-de-Marne department

• Official website
• Paris XII- Val-de-Marne University located in Créteil