In recent years, the village of Grigny, located just 30 minutes south of Lyon, has been making waves all across France and even beyond. The reason: a huge Harry Potter market that transforms the streets and squares every year, bringing together thousands of visitors from all corners of the country. It's such a success that even Warner Bros has teamed up with the village council to officially partner in the event...
But the town hall of Grigny has also been on another mission for the past 8 years to change its name. Why such a change, you might ask? Well, believe it or not, our Grigny in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region shares its name with two other French towns: one in Essonne and another in Pas-de-Calais. And little Grigny regularly receives mail, bills, and even administrative documents meant for these other communities. Quite a headache for the residents and municipal services!
Goodbye Grigny, hello Grigny-sur-Rhône
But that was then because since 2025, Grigny has become Grigny-sur-Rhône, sweeping away all doubts and mistakes. The mayor of the municipality, Xavier Odo, doesn’t hide his relief. “Our history was linked to the Rhône, and our future will be too. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this change!” he tweeted after the decree was signed. And we certainly understand why!
re: the mistakes were so frequent that they happened almost every two days!Au 1er janvier 2025, Grigny deviendra Grigny-sur-Rhône ! 🎉 Le décret est paru au JO de ce jour, avec 7 autres communes, notre nom officiel évoluera. Notre Histoire était liée au Rhône, notre avenir le sera. Merci à tous les acteurs de cette évolution! pic.twitter.com/tV6FFOEpqf
— ODO Xavier (@XavierODO) August 10, 2024
With this new name, Grigny-sur-Rhône aims to assert its own identity while paying tribute to the river that has shaped its history. A little nod that should finally clear up many confusions and allow the town to look toward the future with confidence.