Pontoise is the officialpréfecture (capital) of theVal-d'Oisedépartement, although in reality thepréfecture building and administration, as well as the department council (conseil général), are located in the neighboring commune ofCergy, which is regarded as thede facto capital of Val-d'Oise.
Pontoise is also the seat of theArrondissement of Pontoise. Thesous-préfecture building and administration, unlike thepréfecture, are located inside the commune of Pontoise.
Known for being a violent city in the late 20th century, with a criminal rate of 137.62 incidents per 1000 inhabitants, Cergy-Pontoise has enjoyed a significant decrease in violence in the first decade of the 21st century. By 2008, the rate had declined to 99.87, although this is still considered high.[3] That rate has continued to decline in the second decade.
Pontoise is the historical capital of theVexin français. Its foundation dates fromRoman times (Pontisara). At that time, the rock peak overhanging the riverOise supported the defense of the fort which was on theRoman road, theChaussée Jules César, betweenLutetia (Paris) andRotomagus (Rouen). The road still exists and is now part of theN14 from Paris to Rouen. It is also known to many people as the birthplace of the alchemist Nicholas Flamel.With an over 2,000 year legacy, Pontoise still has vestiges of the past, such as medieval lanes, convents, churches and museums, and was awarded the "City of Art and History Label" in 2006.The impressionist painter Camille Pissarro made it famous through many paintings which are present nowadays in the most famous art galleries in the world.
Pontoise has anoceanic climate (Köppen climate classificationCfb). The average annual temperature in Pontoise is 12.5 °C (54.5 °F). The average annual rainfall is 666.7 mm (26.25 in) with December as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around 20.5 °C (68.9 °F), and lowest in January, at around 5.3 °C (41.5 °F). The highest temperature ever recorded in Pontoise was 40.0 °C (104.0 °F) on 1 July 2015; the coldest temperature ever recorded was −12.5 °C (9.5 °F) on 1 January 1997.
Climate data for Pontoise (1991−2020 normals, extremes 1990−2020)
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1 This group is made up largely of former French settlers, such aspieds-noirs inNorthwest Africa, followed by former colonial citizens who had French citizenship at birth (such as was often the case for the native elite in French colonies), as well as to a lesser extent foreign-born children of French expatriates. A foreign country is understood as a country not part of France in 1999, so a person born for example in 1950 in Algeria, when Algeria was an integral part of France, is nonetheless listed as a person born in a foreign country in French statistics.
2 An immigrant is a person born in a foreign country not having French citizenship at birth. An immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still considered an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants.
The railway bridge between Pontoise and Saint-Ouen-l'Aumone
Pontoise is served byPontoise station, a terminus on ParisRER line C and an intermediate terminus for suburban trains originating fromGare Saint-Lazare as well as a terminus for suburban trains fromGare du Nord. Some trains originating atGare Saint-Lazare continue ontoGisors. For bus services, Stivo (formerly Services des Transports de l'Agglomération Nouvelle) operates within thenew town ofCergy-Pontoise, and in and around Pontoise, withtransport interchanges situated Place Charles de Gaulle and Parking Canrobert.
Cathédrale Saint-Maclou de Pontoise. It was built in the 12th century and reconstructed and enlarged in the 15th and 16th centuries. The tower, as well as the central portal, is inflamboyant style. The central body is flanked byRenaissance additions. The remaining 12th century part of the cathedral is to the back. To the North of the building is aRenaissance portal.
Musée de Pontoise (Musée Tavet-Delacour). The museum houses sculptures from theMiddle Ages, manuscripts from the seventeenth century and paintings from the twentieth century
Musée Pissarro (Impressionist collections) and garden of the five senses. The Museum is situated in abourgeois house at the entrance of the old castle.
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