XVe arrondissement
Encyclopedia
The 15th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements
(administrative districts) of the capital city
of France
.
Situated on the Rive Gauche
(left bank) of the River Seine and sharing the Montparnasse
district with the 6th
and 14th
arrondissements, it is the city's most populous arrondissement. The Tour Montparnasse
– the tallest skyscraper in Paris – and the neighbouring Gare Montparnasse
are both located in the 15th arrondissement, at its border with the 14th
. It is also home to the Parc des Expositions which near the Parc des Princes
and houses Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, the high-rise district of the Front de Seine
(or Beaugrenelle) and the Eiffel Tower
.
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The headquarters of France Télécom
are located in the 15th arrondissement. La Poste
, the French mail service, has its head office in the arrondissement. The publisher Hachette Livre
also has its headquarters in the arrondissement.
Prior to the completion of the current Air France
headquarters in Tremblay-en-France
in December 1995, Air France was headquartered in a tower located next to the Gare Montparnasse
rail station in Montparnasse
and in the 15th arrondissement; Air France had its headquarters in the tower for about 30 years.
and the wall of Thiers. The communes of Grenelle
, Vaugirard, and Javel
were incorporated into Paris in 1860.
has a campus in the arrondissement. It is in proximity to Place de la Convention.
Arrondissements of Paris
The city of Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements municipaux administrative districts, more simply referred to as arrondissements . These are not to be confused with departmental arrondissements, which subdivide the 101 French départements...
(administrative districts) of the capital city
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Situated on the Rive Gauche
Rive Gauche
La Rive Gauche is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two: looking downstream, the southern bank is to the left, and the northern bank is to the right....
(left bank) of the River Seine and sharing the Montparnasse
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
district with the 6th
VIe arrondissement
The 6th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. It includes world famous educational institutions such as the École des Beaux-Arts de Paris and the Académie française, the seat of the French Senate as well as a concentration of some of Paris most...
and 14th
XIVe arrondissement
The 14th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France....
arrondissements, it is the city's most populous arrondissement. The Tour Montparnasse
Tour Montparnasse
Tour Maine-Montparnasse , also commonly named Tour Montparnasse, is a tall office skyscraper located in Paris, France, in the area of Montparnasse. Constructed from 1969 to 1972, it was the tallest skyscraper in France until 2011, when it was surpassed in height by the Tour First...
– the tallest skyscraper in Paris – and the neighbouring Gare Montparnasse
Gare Montparnasse
Paris Montparnasse is one of the six large terminus railway stations of Paris, located in the Montparnasse area in the XIVe arrondissement. The station was opened in 1840, and rebuilt completely in 1969...
are both located in the 15th arrondissement, at its border with the 14th
XIVe arrondissement
The 14th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France....
. It is also home to the Parc des Expositions which near the Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
and houses Porte de Versailles exhibition centre, the high-rise district of the Front de Seine
Front de Seine
Front de Seine is a district in Paris, France, located along the river Seine in the 15th arrondissement right at the South of the Eiffel Tower...
(or Beaugrenelle) and the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
.
Geography
The land area of this arrondissement is 8.502 km2 (3.283 sq. miles, or 2,101 acres).Demography
The peak of population of Paris's 15th arrondissement occurred in 1962, when it had 250,551 inhabitants. Since then it has lost approximately one-tenth of its population, but it remains the most populous arrondissement of Paris, with 225,362 inhabitants at the last census in 1999. With 144,667 jobs at the same census, the 15th is also very dense in business activities.Historical population
| Year (of French censuses) |
Population | Density (inh. per km2) |
|---|---|---|
| 1872 | 75,449 | 8,874 |
| 1954 | 250,124 | 29,419 |
| 1962 (peak of population) | 250,551 | 29,470 |
| 1968 | 244,080 | 28,709 |
| 1975 | 231,301 | 27,205 |
| 1982 | 225,596 | 26,534 |
| 1990 | 223,940 | 26,340 |
| 1999 | 225,362 | 26,507 |
| 2005 estimate | 232,400 | 27,335 |
Immigration
Places of interest
- Parts of the MontparnasseMontparnasseMontparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
area. - The former workshop (no longer standing) of Constantin BrâncuşiConstantin BrancusiConstantin Brâncuşi was a Romanian-born sculptor who made his career in France. As a child he displayed an aptitude for carving wooden farm tools. Formal studies took him first to Bucharest, then to Munich, then to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris...
, where the sculptor worked from 1925 to 1957. - La RucheLa RucheLa Ruche is an artist's residence at the Paris South-Western outskirts.Located in the "Passage Dantzig," in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, La Ruche was an old three-storey circular structure that got its name because it looked more like a large beehive than any dwelling for humans...
- Musée BourdelleMusée BourdelleThe Musée Bourdelle is an art museum located in the 15th arrondissement at 18, rue Antoine Bourdelle, Paris, France. It is open daily, except Mondays. The nearest métro stations are Falguière and Montparnasse – Bienvenüe....
- Musée PasteurMusée PasteurThe Musée Pasteur is a museum dedicated to scientist Louis Pasteur. It is located within the Institut Pasteur at 25 Rue du Docteur Roux, Paris, France, in the XVe arrondissement, and open daily in the warmer months; an admission fee is charged....
- Musée du Service des Objets TrouvésMusée du Service des Objets TrouvésThe Musée du Service des Objets Trouvés, also known as the Petit musée des objets trouvés, is a small museum of unusual articles maintained by the Service des Objets Trouvés of the Paris Police. It is located in the 15th arrondissement at 36, rue des Morillons, Paris, France...
- Porte de Versailles exhibition center and Palais des sportsPalais des SportsPalais des Sports is the name of multiple sporting venues, mostly in the French-speaking world, including:* In France:**Palais des Sports de Beaulieu, Nantes**Palais des Sports de Fetes, Limoges**Palais des Sports de Gerland, Lyon...
, near Porte de Versailles metro station. - Front de SeineFront de SeineFront de Seine is a district in Paris, France, located along the river Seine in the 15th arrondissement right at the South of the Eiffel Tower...
high-rise district. - KingBlana's apartment: the home of RDI Paris
Economy
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
are located in the 15th arrondissement. La Poste
La Poste (France)
La Poste is the mail service of France, which also operates postal services in the French Overseas Departments of Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana, and the territorial collectivities of Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Mayotte...
, the French mail service, has its head office in the arrondissement. The publisher Hachette Livre
Hachette Livre
-France:*Calmann-Lévy*Deux Coqs d'Or*Disney Hachette Edition*EDICEF*Editions 1*Editions du Chêne**E.P.A*Éditions Dunod*Editions Foucher*Editions Stock*Fayard**Editions Mille et Une Nuits**Editions Mazarine**Pauvert*Gautier-Languereau*Grasset...
also has its headquarters in the arrondissement.
Prior to the completion of the current Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
headquarters in Tremblay-en-France
Tremblay-en-France
Tremblay-en-France is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.More than one-quarter of Charles de Gaulle Airport lies on the territory of the commune of Tremblay-en-France, in particular terminals 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D...
in December 1995, Air France was headquartered in a tower located next to the Gare Montparnasse
Gare Montparnasse
Paris Montparnasse is one of the six large terminus railway stations of Paris, located in the Montparnasse area in the XIVe arrondissement. The station was opened in 1840, and rebuilt completely in 1969...
rail station in Montparnasse
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail...
and in the 15th arrondissement; Air France had its headquarters in the tower for about 30 years.
History
The loi du 16 juin 1859 decreed the annexation to Paris of the area between the old Wall of the Farmers-GeneralWall of the Farmers-General
The Wall of the Farmers-General was built between 1784 and 1791 by the Ferme générale, the corporation of tax farmers. It was one of the several city walls of Paris built between the early Middle Ages to the mid 19th century. It was 24 kilometers long and roughly followed the route now occupied by...
and the wall of Thiers. The communes of Grenelle
Grenelle
Grenelle is a neighbourhood in southwestern Paris, France. It is a part of the 15th arrondissement of the city.The area takes it name from Latin Garanella, meaning a wooded area where rabbits live...
, Vaugirard, and Javel
Javel
Javel may refer to:* Javel – André Citroën * Gare de Javel...
were incorporated into Paris in 1860.
Quarters
As in all the Parisian arrondissements, the fifteenth is made up of four administrative quarters (quartiers).- To the south, quartier Saint-Lambert occupies the former site of the village of Vaugirard, built along an ancient Roman roadRoman roadThe Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
of the same name. The geography of the area was particularly suited to wine-making, as well as quarrying. In fact, many Parisian monuments, such as the École MilitaireÉcole MilitaireThe École Militaire is a vast complex of buildings housing various military training facilities located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, southeast of the Champ de Mars....
, were built from Vaugirard stone. The village, not yet being part of Paris, was considered by Parisians to be an agreeable suburb, pleasant for country walks or its cabarets and puppet shows. In 1860 Vaugirard was annexed to Paris, along with adjoining villages. Today, the only notable attractions in this area are the Parc des Expositions (an exhibition center which hosts the Foire de Paris, agricultural expositions, and car shows), and Parc Georges Brassens, a park built on the former site of a slaughterhouse.
- To the east, quartier Necker was originally an uninhabited space between Paris and Vaugirard. The most well-known landmarks in the area are the Gare Montparnasse train station and the looming Tour Montparnasse office tower. The area around the train station has been renovated and now contains a number of office and apartment blocks, a park (the Jardin Atlantique, built directly over the train tracks), and shopping centers. Finally, the quartier contains a number of public buildings: the Lycée Buffon, Necker Children's Hospital, and the Institut Pasteur.
- To the north, quartier Grenelle was originally a village of the same name. Grenelle plain extended from the current Hôtel des Invalides to the suburb of Issy-les-MoulineauxIssy-les-MoulineauxIssy-les-Moulineaux is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. On 1 January 2003, Issy-les-Moulineaux became part of the Communauté d'agglomération Arc de Seine along with the other communes of Chaville, Meudon, Vanves and Ville-d'Avray...
on the other side of the Seine, but remained mostly uninhabited in centuries past due to difficulties farming the land. At the beginning of the 19th century, an entrepreneur by the name of Violet divided off a section of the plain: this became the village of Beaugrenelle, known for its series of straight streets and blocks, which remain today. The whole area broke off from the commune of Vaugirard in 1830, becoming the commune of Grenelle, which was in turn annexed to Paris in 1860. A century later, a number of apartment and office towers were built along the Seine, along with Beaugrenelle shopping mall.
- To the west, quartier Javel lies to the south of Grenelle plain. In years past, it was the industrial area of the arrondissement: first with chemical companies (the famous Eau de Javel [bleach] was invented and produced there), then electrical companies (ThomsonThomson SATechnicolor SA , formerly Thomson SA and Thomson Multimedia, is a French international provider of solutions for the creation, management, post-production, delivery and access of video, for the Communication, Media and Entertainment industries. Technicolor’s headquarters are located in Issy les...
), and finally car manufacturers (CitroënCitroënCitroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group.Founded in 1919 by French industrialist André-Gustave Citroën , Citroën was the first mass-production car company outside the USA and pioneered the modern concept of creating a sales and services network that...
), whose factories occupied a large part of the quartier up until the early 1970s. The industrial areas have since been destroyed, and the neighbourhood now contains Parc André CitroënParc André CitroënParc André Citroën is a public park located on the left bank of the river Seine in the XVe arrondissement of Paris. The park was built on the site of a former Citroën automobile manufacturing plant, and is named after company founder André Citroën.-History:In 1915, Citroën built his factory on...
, Georges Pompidou Hospital, and a number of large office buildings and television studios (SagemSAGEMSAGEM was a major French company involved in defence electronics, consumer electronics and communication systems.In 2005, Sagem merged with SNECMA to form SAFRAN...
, SnecmaSnecmaSnecma is a major French manufacturer of engines for commercial and military aircraft, and for space vehicles. The name is an acronym for Société Nationale d'Étude et de Construction de Moteurs d'Aviation .In 2005, the Snecma group, which included Snecma ,...
, the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile, Canal Plus, France TélévisionsFrance TélévisionsFrance Télévisions is the French public national television broadcaster. It is a state-owned company formed from the bringing together of the public television channels France 2 and France 3 , later joined by the legally independent channels France 5 , France Ô , and France 4 France Télévisions ...
, etc.). In addition, to the south of the circular highway (boulevard périphérique), an extension of the 15th, formerly an aerodrome at the beginning of the 20th century, is now a heliport, a gym and a recreation center.
- The early airfield here has been encroached upon by urban development and a sports centre but the residual area, mainly laid to grass, continues to serve Paris as a heliportHeliportA heliport is a small airport suitable only for use by helicopters. Heliports typically contain one or more helipads and may have limited facilities such as fuel, lighting, a windsock, or even hangars...
. The Sécurité CivileSécurité CivileOperating for the French Ministry of the Interior, the Direction de la Défense de la Sécurité Civile is a French Government civil defence agency, employing some 2,500 civilian and military personnel over 60 sites...
has a detachment here close to maintenance facilities. Customs facilities are available and the facility is especially busy during the Salon d'Aeronautique airshowAirshowAn air show is an event at which aviators display their flying skills and the capabilities of their aircraft to spectators in aerobatics. Air shows without aerobatic displays, having only aircraft displayed parked on the ground, are called "static air shows"....
s held at Le BourgetLe BourgetLe Bourget is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.A very small part of Le Bourget airport lies on the territory of the commune of Le Bourget, which nonetheless gave its name to the airport. Most of the airport lies on the territory of the...
on the other side of the city.
Education
Schiller International UniversitySchiller International University
Schiller International University is a private American university with its main campus and administrative headquarters in Largo, Florida. It has campuses on two continents in five countries, each offering its own unique experiences to students: Largo; Paris, France; Madrid, Spain; Heidelberg,...
has a campus in the arrondissement. It is in proximity to Place de la Convention.