We call them “the 7th arrondissement”, “the 10ᵉ” or even “the 15ᵉ”, but did you know that our beloved arrondissements all have names? In fact, for over 150 years, they’ve all had a name, now a secret and forgotten by most Parisians. And yet, as you’ll see, these names are very useful.
The arrondissements of Paris all have names: a secret that most Parisians are unaware of…
Yes, ever since the imperial decree that divided the city of Paris into 20 arrondissements, they’ve all had names. But most Parisians don’t know this…
These names were not chosen at random, since they are all linked to a monument, a district or an emblematic place in the arrondissement. So now you know :
- The 1st arrondissement is called “Louvre”, in honor of its museum, which is the most visited in the world and undoubtedly one of the most popular in Paris.
- The 2nd arrondissement is called “Bourse”, after the Palais Brongniart, former headquarters of the Paris Stock Exchange.
- The 3rd, “Temple”, reminds us of the now-defunct Sainte-Marie du Temple church.
- The 4th, unsurprisingly, is called “Hôtel-de-Ville“, as it houses Paris’ central city hall.
- The 5th is called “Panthéon”, a Mecca for intellectuals and the necropolis of France’s greatest figures.
- The 6th, “Luxembourg”, for its fabulous garden and the Palais du Luxembourg, seat of the French Senate.
- The 7th, “Palais-Bourbon”, in reference to the palace that houses the French National Assembly.
- 8th, “Élysée”, for the Palais de l’Élysée, residence of the President of the Republic.
- The 9th, “Opéra”, referring of course to the Opéra Garnier, but also to the Opéra Le Peletier, destroyed by fire.
The outlying arrondissements, from the 10th to the 20th, tell the story of annexed Paris.
- The 10th arrondissement is called “Entrepôt”, in reference to the warehouses and former customs facilities located near the Canal Saint-Martin.
- The 11th, called “Popincourt”, takes its name from an ancient medieval stronghold, the “clos Popincourt”, now disappeared.
- The 12th, “Reuilly”, was a former commune absorbed during the Haussmann project.
- The 13th, “Gobelins”, in honor of the famous Gobelins factory, dyers who became royal upholsterers.
- The 14th, “Observatoire”, in direct connection with the Paris Observatory.
- 15th, “Vaugirard”, formerly a village, attached to Paris in the 19th century.
- 16th, “Passy”, a former village renowned for its water springs and lush greenery.
- The 17th, “Batignolles-Monceau”, the result of the merger of two former villages: Batignolles and Monceau.
- The 18th, “Butte-Montmartre”, in reference to the Butte de Montmartre and its Sacré-Coeur basilica.
- The 19th, “Buttes-Chaumont”, named after the large park built on former gypsum quarries.
- The 20th, “Ménilmontant”, from the Old French “mesnil montant” (small estate on high ground), where the château frequented by Madame de Pompadour was also located.
Each of these names has its own history, directly linked to Paris’s past and its expansion over the centuries. And where, in which arrondissement, do you live?