Boulogne-Billancourt is the most densely populated suburb of Paris, located to the west of the capital and washed from the south and west by the waters of the Seine, which gives it the shape of a peninsula. Its history begins in 1100, when a small village of lumberjacks Menul-les-Saint-Claude appeared on the banks of the Seine. In 1319, by order of King Philip V, a church was built in the village modeled after the temple in Boulogne-sur-Mer, after which the settlement changed its name to Boulogne-la-Petit (Little Boulogne), and the nearby Rouvray forest became known as the Bois de Boulogne. The commune received its modern name Boulogne-Billancourt in 1926 after merging with the neighboring commune of Billancourt. At the beginning of the 20th century, Renault automobile plants were built here, which determined the industrial appearance of the city for many decades. During the interwar period, Boulogne-Billancourt became the center of Russian emigration and attracted many artists. Since the second half of the 20th century, the city began to transform from an industrial hub into a major business center. The nature of this place is characterized by an abundance of greenery. In the north, Boulogne-Billancourt borders the vast Bois de Boulogne, a former royal hunting ground of 850 hectares, which was turned into a public park on the initiative of Baron Haussmann. There are many parks on the territory of the city itself, among which the Albert Kahn Gardens stand out — a unique 4-hectare garden and park complex divided into seven themed areas, including a Japanese garden, a French garden and a forest with blue satin cedars. Other significant green areas are the Edmond de Rothschild Park and the new park on the island of Seguin, built on the site of former Renault factories.

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