15th arrondissement of Paris

Coordinates: 48°50′29″N 2°18′01″E / 48.84139°N 2.30028°E / 48.84139; 2.30028
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15th arrondissement of Paris
Place Georges-Mulot with the Fontaine du Puits de Grenelle at its centre
Place Georges-Mulot with the Fontaine du Puits de Grenelle at its centre
Coat of arms of 15th arrondissement of Paris
Logo
Location within Paris
Location within Paris
Coordinates: 48°50′29″N 2°18′01″E / 48.84139°N 2.30028°E / 48.84139; 2.30028
CountryFrance
RegionÎle-de-France
DepartmentParis
CommuneParis
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2026) Philippe Goujon (LR)
Area
8.50 km2 (3.28 sq mi)
Population
 (2021)[1]
227,746
 • Density26,794/km2 (69,400/sq mi)
INSEE code75115

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

The 15th arrondissement, called Vaugirard, 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. 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 high-rise Beaugrenelle district and the Front de Seine riverside development, as well as the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles convention centre, where the 180-metre Tour Triangle is set to house a 120-room hotel and 70,000 square metres of office space in 2026.[2] Close is the Héliport de Paris, the city heliport, just nearby the border with Issy-les-Moulineaux.

History[edit]

The loi du 16 juin 1859 decreed the annexation to Paris of the area between the old Wall of the Ferme générale and the Wall of Thiers. The communes of Grenelle, Vaugirard and Javel 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[edit]

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

The four administrative quarters of the 15th arrondissement.
  • To the south, quartier Saint-Lambert 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 École Militaire, 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 Parc des Expositions (an exhibition centre which hosts the Foire de Paris, agricultural expositions, in addition to car shows) and Parc Georges-Brassens, a park built on the former site of a slaughterhouse where every year wine by the name of Clos des Morillons is produced and auctioned at the civic centre.
  • 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 a shopping centre. Finally, the quartier contains a number of public buildings: the Lycée Buffon, the Necker Children's Hospital, as well as the private foundation Pasteur Institute.
  • 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-Moulineaux 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, the Front de Seine along with the 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 (Thomson), and finally car manufacturers (Citroën), whose factories occupied a large part of the quartier up until the early 1970s. The industrial areas have since been rehabilitated; the neighbourhood now contains Parc André-Citroën, Georges Pompidou European Hospital, and a number of large office buildings and television studios (Sagem, Snecma, the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile, Canal Plus, 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 centre.
Musée Pasteur

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 Sécurité Civile has a detachment there close to maintenance facilities. Customs facilities are available and especially busy during the Salon d'Aeronautique airshows held at Le Bourget on the other side of the city.

Geography[edit]

Mairie du XVe arrondissement near Vaugirard Métro station

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 Île aux Cygnes (Isle of the Swans), on the border with the 16th arrondissement. It also borders the 6th, 7th and 14th arrondissements.

At 8.5 km2 (3.28 sq. miles, or 2,100 acres), it is the third-largest arrondissement in Paris; it would be the largest if the large parks Bois de Boulogne and Bois de Vincennes were not counted as part of the 16th and 12th arrondissements, respectively.

Demographics[edit]

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. This arrondissement is home to many families and is known in Paris as one of the quietest sections in Paris. The majority of the arrondissement is relatively unfrequented by tourists, a rarity for one of the world's most visited cities.

Historical population[edit]

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
2009 236,491 27,888

Immigration[edit]

Place of birth of residents of the 15th arrondissement in 1999
Born in metropolitan France Born outside metropolitan France
80.0% 20.0%
Born in
overseas France
Born in foreign countries with French citizenship at birth1 EU-15 immigrants2 Non-EU-15 immigrants
1.0% 4.8% 4.0% 10.2%
1 This group is made up largely of former French settlers, such as Pieds-Noirs in Northwest Africa, followed by former colonial citizens who had French citizenship at birth (such as was often the case for the native elite in French colonies), as well as to a lesser extent foreign-born children of French expatriates. A foreign country is understood as a country not part of France in 1999, so a person born for example in 1950 in Algeria, when Algeria was an integral part of France, is nonetheless listed as a person born in a foreign country in French statistics.

2 An immigrant is a person born in a foreign country not having French citizenship at birth. An immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still considered an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants.

Places of interest[edit]

La musique (Musée Bourdelle)

Government and infrastructure[edit]

  • At one time the head office of the Bureau Enquêtes-Accidents was in the 15th arrondissement.[10]
  • 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.[11]
  • Australian Embassy
  • Japanese Cultural Centre in Paris[12]
  • Institut Français[13]

Economy[edit]

Art Nouveau building, detailed view

Education and research[edit]

Panthéon-Assas University – Vaugirard

Notable people[edit]

Brigitte Bardot – 1962
Louis Pasteur by Félix Nadar in 1878

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
  2. ^ "Porte de Versailles Exhibition Centre". Paris Digest. 2018. Retrieved 2018-11-10.
  3. ^ "Pasteur Museum". Institut Pasteur. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  4. ^ Leroy, Christophe. "Musée Mendjisky-Ecoles de Paris". FMEP (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Musée du Général Leclerc et de la Libération de Paris – Musée Jean Moulin". Musées Leclerc Moulin (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  6. ^ "Beaugrenelle". beaugrenelle-paris.com. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  7. ^ "Rue et villa Santos-Dumont". Gavroche père & fils (in French). 18 November 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Villa Santos-Dumont, 15th arrondissement, Paris, 2013". Aperture.org. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  9. ^ "Ballon Generali". Paris Tourist Office. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  10. ^ "Accident Report, 17 March 1982" (PDF). Bureau Enquêtes-Accidents (in French). Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 18 April 2012. 246, rue Lecourbe 75732 PARIS – France.
  11. ^ Hohenadel, Kristin (13 November 2015). "France's New Defense Building, Inspired by the Pentagon, Is...a Hexagon". Slate. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  12. ^ "Mentions legales". Maison de la culture du Japon à Paris (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2017. 101 bis, quai Branly, 75015 Paris.
  13. ^ "Contact". Institut Français (in French). Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  14. ^ "Legal Matters". Orange. Retrieved 6 October 2009.
  15. ^ "Contact Us". La Poste. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2010. La Poste laposte.com V603 44 bd de Vaugirard 75015 Paris – France.
  16. ^ "Mentions légales". La Poste (in French). Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2010. Siège social ("Headquarters") : 44 boulevard de Vaugirard – 75757 PARIS CEDEX 15.
  17. ^ "Home". Hachette Livre. Retrieved 17 April 2011. Hachette Livre 43, quai de Grenelle 75905 Paris Cedex 15.
  18. ^ "Air France Head Quarters – Roissypole" (PDF). Groupement d'Etudes et de Méthodes d'Ordonnancement (GEMO) (in French). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  19. ^ "Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle". Tremblay-en-France (in French). Archived from the original on 13 October 2010. Retrieved 20 September 2009.
  20. ^ Salpukas, Agis (27 December 1992). "Air France's Big Challenge". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2009.
  21. ^ "World Airline Directory". Flight International. Vol. 108, no. 3445. 20 March 1975. p. 466.
  22. ^ Mlekuz, Nathalie (2 April 1997). "Air France vole vers ses avions, destination Roissy". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  23. ^ "Address book". Accor. Archived from the original on 17 October 2006. Retrieved 19 March 2012. Executive Management Tour Maine-Montparnasse 33, avenue du Maine 75755 Paris Cedex 15 France.
  24. ^ "Schiller Paris". Schiller International University. Retrieved 28 August 2011. Schiller International University 9, rue Yvart 75015 – Paris FRANCE.
  25. ^ "EIB Victor Hugo School". EIB Paris. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  26. ^ "Why this culinary arts and hospitality management school?". Le Cordon Bleu Paris. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  27. ^ "Visual arts and aesthetics" (PDF). Pantheon-Sorbonne University. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  28. ^ "Henry Miller & Richard Galen Osborn's apartment". PBase. Retrieved 11 August 2017.

Bibliography[edit]

External links[edit]