General Information

The 11th arrondissement is located on the Right Bank. In recent years it has emerged as one of the trendiest regions of Paris, while remaining one of the most densely populated urban districts in Europe. It is divided into quarters: Quartier de la Folie-Méricourt, Quartier Saint-Ambroise, Quartier de la Roquette and Quartier Sainte-Marguerite.

Street Spirit

The 11th arrondissement is celebrated for its cultural and social diversity. The area in the vicinity of Rue Oberkampf is full of restaurants and bars that share an authentic Parisian feel and are frequented by local urban crowd. Meanwhile, the establishments surrounding the Place de Bastille attract a more cosmopolitan clientele.

History: Highlights

The area that is now the 11th arrondissement used to be a working-class district. The residents of this neighbourhood played an important role during the French Revolution and later in the tempestuous 19th century. The current limits of the 11th arrondissement were demarcated in 1860.

Quartier de la Folie-Méricourt

The forty-first quarter had kept its original rural character until the late 17th century, when it was incorporated into the growing Paris. The industrialisation changed the quarter into a working-class neighbourhood.

Quartier Saint-Ambroise

The forty-second quarter shares the name with the neo-Gothic church of Saint Ambrose. Saint Ambrose was one of the four original doctors of the Church.

Quartier de la Roquette

The forty-third quarter was most likely named after a local flower. The area has retained the character it gained in the 19th and early 20th century, when most of its modest but seemly buildings were erected.

Quartier Sainte-Marguerite

The forty-fourth quarter owes its name to the baroque Church of Saint Margaret that is located there. During the French Revolution, 300 guillotined bodies were buried in the church’s adjoining cemetery. While a plaque on the church wall informs that the buried remains included those of Louis XVII, this legend was later disproved.