The name Kremlin-Bicêtre is the result of an unexpected fusion between a former Parisian hospital and a popular 19th-century guinguette. The term "Bicêtre" originates from a deformation of "Winchester", in reverence to Jean de Pontoise, Bishop of Winchester, who built a manor house on these lands in the 13th century. The estate later became a hospital and prison, well known as the Bicêtre Hospital.
So what's the Kremlin, this Russian fortress, got to do with the Ile-de-France landscape? In the early 19th century, during the Russian campaign, wounded French soldiers were treated at the Bicêtre hospital. A nearby cabaret, much frequented by soldiers, was ironically nicknamed "the Kremlin" in reference to Moscow, which they had briefly occupied. The name stuck, first for the neighborhood, then for the whole town.
In 1896, when the commune was officially created, the choice was obvious: Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, a name that bears witness to a historic past and a touch of military humor. Even today, this double reference fascinates as much as it amuses, reminding us that the history of place names sometimes holds surprises worthy of a novel.
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