Dourdan is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. General Auguste Jubé de La Perelle (1765–1824) died in Dourdan.It is located in the metropolitan area of Paris.GeographyDourdan is located on the river Orge in the western Essonne. The town is surrounded by the Dourdan's forest (Forêt de Dourdan).Inhabitants of Dourdan are known as Dourdannais.HistoryThe origin of the name comes credibly from "Dour" derived of the Celtic root "Dor" which means "water" or "river", the same origin as for the English city of Dover. The radical "dan" could have meant "hill". Dourdan (Dordincum) developed during the Gallo-Roman period as an important center of production of ceramics. In the Middle Ages, it became the residence of Hugh the Great, father of Hugh Capet; he died there in 956.Dourdan became a royal city in 987, when Hugh Capet was crowned king.In 1220, King Philip II Augustus of France built a new castle; its most famous owners were: Blanche de Castille, Louis d'Évreux, Jean, duc de Berry, François de Lorraine, duc de Guise, Maximilien de Béthune, duc de Sully, Anne of Austria and the House of Orléans.