29 August 2020

Le 7ème arrondissement de Paris


The city of Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements or districts ("roundings"). The 7ème arrondissement is on the Left Bank near the center of the city and covers about a mile and a half of territory. The population is about 50,000 these days. That's about 33,000 people per square mile.

The neighboring 15ème arrondissement, which is mostly residential, covers 3.25 square miles and has a population density that's twice as high — more than 72,000/sq. mi. (about the same as Manhattan in New York City). The overall population density of Paris falls in between at about 53,000/sq.mi.

Another comparison: Saint-Aignan, where I live, is about 150 miles south of Paris, and is the main town of a French canton that has an area of nearly 140 square miles. The population density of the canton de Saint-Aignan, pop. 19,000, is about 135/sq. mi. Even if the entire population of Paris lived in our canton, the density would be just 15,000/sq. mi. — half that of the 7th in Paris.


Sometimes it can start to feel a little lonely out here. But I have to admit, the quiet is nice.


Much of the 7th is given over to grand monuments and large properties: the Eiffel Tower, the Invalides complex, the Rodin museum, the prime minister's residence, the residence of the archbishop of Paris, and so on. The photo above shows the part of the 7th that closest to the center of the city. The imposing white building set in a park is the archbishop's place. Just below it is the 17th-century Hôpital Laennec complex.


Part of the Invalides complex — it's a Louis XIV-era military hospital — is the église du Dôme, above. Inside, under the gilded dome is the tomb of the emperor Napoléon 1er. When the Invalides hospital was built, it was in a rural setting, just outside the city, surrounded by fields and grasslands.


A wide avenue with a grassy median runs south from the dome of the Invalides for about a kilometer (just over half a mile). It's the avenue de Breteuil and the photo above shows the place de Breteuil with its monument to and statue of Louis Pasteur in the center. The wide street with all the markings you see at the top right-corner of the photo is the avenue de Saxe, where one of Paris's nicest outdoor markets sets up on Thursday and Saturday mornings. It's called the marché Saxe-Breteuil.

12 comments:

  1. On the third photo, I can even see the bench where Frank, Walt and J.L. were sitting when you took the photo!

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    1. I think I see that bench too. I thought you might enjoy some photos of your Paris neighborhood. More tomorrow...

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    2. I sure do. And all the photos of my homectown, too. Un voyage dans l'espace et le temps.

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  2. I'm really loving these photos of Paris. 'Tis a curious thing that Paris and Manhattan can have such high population densities with not so tall buildings but here we can only do it with high rise apartment blocks.

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    1. Fairly recent though. I think of how many people live in what were and maybe still are walk ups in NYC. I don't remember any tall buildings along The Seine in the early 2000s.

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  3. Thanks for these photos. I’ve always been a fan of Napoleon, so seeing his tomb was at the top of my list on my first trip to Paris and I agree completely with you on the marche Saxe-Breteuil. Shopping there is a lovely experience.

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  4. Oh, gee, I don't know if I've ever been to the marché Saxe- Breteuil, and now I feel like I've missed out! I love a good market :). I remember, sometime early in our year in Paris, that Jane and Aimée and I met up at one of the well-known neighborhood markets (that Jane knew of) on a Saturday -- what a great memory. Plus, we sat in a café and ordered coffee. That is a funny memory, because I remember that none of us had much spending money at all, and I felt like I was really splurging! Then, Aimée got 20FF picked out of her gaping open wallet...so, not the best memory for her.Ha!

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    1. I think my two favorite Paris markets are Saxe-Breteuil and Place Monge. The markets on the Boulevard Raspail and on Place Maubert are good too. Actually, there are many.

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    2. My favorite Paris markets were Louvre des Antiquaires, which no one can afford, and Marche aux Puces Clignancourt in the 20th, which many can afford.

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  5. Google A Market for Every Arrondissement in Paris.

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