The first written mention of Sèvres figure 558 in the deed of foundation Childebert by the abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Pres "whose boundaries extended to the stream Savara." 560, are a church and a village. Destroyed and rebuilt over the centuries of invasions and wars, the present church, dedicated to Saint-Romain, patron of sailors, retained the base of the tower spans the 12th and 13th century.
When Louis the 14th decided to build his palace in Versailles is the port that will land Sèvres precious wood, marble statues and all the goods necessary to the achievement of the palace. He reigns intense activity on the port and on the wrong path through the village. In 1682, Versailles became a royal residence. For the journey from Paris is more direct, the king built in 1684, the first bridge Sèvres. This wooden bridge crosses the island of "Sap" future Seguin Island. In 1739, Louis the 15th decided the first renovation of the village, with the alignment of the houses and the rehabilitation of the old bumpy road. The Vincennes porcelain factory moved to Sèvres in 1756, at the instigation of Madame de Pompadour, in the buildings of the current International Centre for Pedagogical Studies. The favorite of the king Louis 15th to receive love and friends, in the privacy of Bellevue and Brimborion. At the same time, the king becomes the sole lord of Sèvres. The town extends in all directions. Develop new activities: manufacture of painted cloth, various small factories, wine merchants favored the king. Philippe Lambert, future mayor of Sèvres, discover the secrets of making crystal in his factory, installed on the St. Cloud area. The Royal Porcelain Factory, Manufacture Crystals of the Queen, the King's Caves, over the stables of King and Queen Sèvres attract artists, artisans and workers. Sèvres population grows while winemakers and launderers continue to thrive.
The wooden bridge had fallen into disrepair, Napoleon ordered the construction of a new stone bridge which work began in 1808. Damaged in 1815 during fighting against the Prussians, the bridge will finally opened in 1820. With the development of the railway line Paris-Versailles-St Lazare (right bank) was inaugurated in 1839 and the Versailles-Montparnasse line (left bank) in 1840. Sèvres will become a residential countryside. The train attracts Parisians who buy land on which to build their second homes. Among the most illustrious residents, there would Sisley, Sandeau Jules Renan, Balzac, Gambetta, Hetzel, Eiffel.
With new means of transport, industry develops Sèvres. Two cartridge factories to settle Bruyères: Gévelot Gaupillat in 1827 and in 1834. In 1846, nearly 600 people work there. The last cartridge factory closed in 1979. On the site of the old cellars of the king, JB Reinert creates Sèvres first brewery in 1852. Other institutions succeed him. It produces beer until 1950. The last brewery disappears in 1988.
In 1861, construction of a new factory and a more functional building for the ceramics museum begin on a plot area of Saint-Cloud, Sèvres given by Napoleon III. Mac Mahon opened in 1876. In 1884, the first laboratory of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures settled in Pavilion de Breteuil. Located on the territory of Saint-Cloud, with its entrance on Sèvres the BIPM receives extraterritoriality as an embassy.
In 1897, Louis Renault in Boulogne-Billancourt creates a workshop automobile that will expand on the Ile Seguin in 1919. Many Sévriens work there. Plants are requisitioned by the enemy bombed several times between 1942 and 1944 and we deplore the dead in the bottom of Sèvres. The city was liberated by the 2nd Armored Division, which lost seven men in this battle, August 24, 1944.
At the dawn of the 21st century, with the salt, cultural center created in the Pavillon Baltard old market, conservatory, gymnasium, a new library and media center, Escale (point youth information), the Maison des Associations The city has many public facilities and modern. Now planning strives to revive the heart of a city more friendly and areas: developing green spaces and open spaces more welcoming to all, because the quality of life is a requirement Sèvres, naturally.
