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15th arrondissement of Paris

The 15th arrondissement of Paris () is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as (, 'the fifteenth').

The 15th arrondissement, called , is situated on the left bank of the River Seine. Sharing the Montparnasse district with the 6th and 14th arrondissements, it is the city's most populous arrondissement, with a population of 229,472 as of 2020. – the tallest skyscraper in Paris – and the neighbouring are both located in the 15th arrondissement, at its border with the 14th.

It is also home to the high-rise Beaugrenelle district and the riverside development, as well as the convention centre, where the 180-metre Tour Triangle is set to house a 120-room hotel and of office space in 2026. Close is the , the city heliport, just nearby the border with .

History

The decreed the annexation to Paris of the area between the old Wall of the Ferme générale and the Wall of Thiers. The communes of , and were incorporated into Paris in 1860.

Politician Charles Michels (born 1903) was elected a deputy for the 15th arrondissement under the Popular Front; he was taken hostage and shot by the Nazis in 1941. A Métro station and street now bear his name.

Quarters

As in all the Parisian , the fifteenth is made up of four administrative quarters ().

  • To the south, occupies the former site of the village of Vaugirard, built along an ancient Roman road. The geography of the area was particularly suited to wine-making, as well as quarrying. In fact, many Parisian monuments, such as the , 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, notable attractions in this area include the (an exhibition centre which hosts the , agricultural expositions, in addition to car shows) and , a park built on the former site of a slaughterhouse where every year wine by the name of is produced and auctioned at the civic centre.
  • To the east, 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 office tower. The area around the train station has been renovated and now contains a number of office and apartment blocks, a park (the , built directly over the train tracks), and a shopping centre. Finally, the quartier contains a number of public buildings: the , the Necker Children's Hospital, as well as the private foundation Pasteur Institute.
  • To the north, was originally a village of the same name. Grenelle plain extended from the current to the suburb of 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 , 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, the along with the Beaugrenelle shopping mall.
  • To the west, lies to the south of Grenelle plain. In years past, it was the industrial area of the : first with chemical companies (the famous bleach was invented and produced there), then electrical companies (Thomson), and finally car manufacturers (Citroën), whose factories occupied a large part of the up until the early 1970s. The industrial areas have since been rehabilitated; the neighbourhood now contains , Georges Pompidou European Hospital, and a number of large office buildings and television studios (, , the , , , etc.). In addition, to the south of the circular highway (), an extension of the 15th, formerly an aerodrome at the beginning of the 20th century, is now a heliport, a gym and a recreation centre.

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 heliport. The has a detachment there close to maintenance facilities. Customs facilities are available and especially busy during the airshows held at on the other side of the city.

Geography

The 15th arrondissement is located in the southwestern part of Paris, on the left bank of the Seine. It includes one of the three islands in Paris, the ('Isle of Swans'), on the border with the 16th arrondissement. It also borders the 6th, 7th and 14th arrondissements.

At , it is the third-largest arrondissement in Paris; it would be the largest if the large parks and were not counted as part of the 16th and 12th arrondissements, respectively.

The arrondissement consists of four quarters:

  • Quartier Saint-Lambert (57)
  • Quartier Necker (58)
  • Quartier Grenelle (59)
  • Quartier Javel (60)

Demographics

Historical population

Places of interest

Government and infrastructure

  • At one time the head office of the was in the 15th arrondissement.
  • Since November 2015 the French Ministère des Armées ("Ministry of the Armed Forces") has been located in purpose-built building near the Balard Métro station.
  • Australian Embassy
  • Japanese Cultural Centre in Paris
  • Institut Français

Economy

Education and research

Notable people

See also

References

Further reading

External links