Has Paris always had the face we know, with its boundaries and 20 arrondissements? Shaped by a long and rich sequence of events, the City of Light was not built in a day. One of the most significant changes took place on June 16, 1859, when Paris went from 12 to 20 arrondissements!
Paris and the law of June 16, 1859
In your mind, Paris means 20 arrondissements, not one more, not one less, and the périphérique (ring-road ) delimiting its borders. You’ve always been used to this configuration, but the capital has changed its face many times. The birth of modern Paris is attributed to Baron Hausmann, who masterminded major urban transformations between 1853 and 1870. It was also during this period that a decisive law was passed on the topography of the capital, concerning the city’s boundaries and the number of arrondissements.
A “Greater Paris” before its time, Paris expands to include new arrondissements
Divided into 12 arrondissements under the Second Empire, the capital was faced with a number of challenges (political, industrial and demographic). Parisians were cramped for space, and Baron Haussmann envisaged annexing border districts as a solution.
Paris was enlarged by the law on the extension of the limits of Paris, dated June 16, 1859. It came into force on January 1, 1860, and gave the city new arrondissements. Several neighboring communes were absorbed into Paris. Some were fully annexed, such as Belleville, La Villette, Vaugirard and Grenelle, while others were partially annexed: Auteuil, Passy, Batignolles-Monceau, Bercy, La Chapelle, Charonne and Montmartre.
While the number of arrondissements increased, the surface area of the capital also increased significantly, from around 3,500 to 7,800 hectares.