Paris 11e & 20e arrondissements

September 10, 2018

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Today’s somewhat random walk takes me deeper into the 20th arrondissement of Paris, at first making a clockwise arc through the eastern portion of Ménilmontant, then continuing west into the 11th arrondissement , just east of the Quai de Valmy, northeast along the rue du Faubourg du Temple into Belleville, then returning to the lovely Parc de Belleville.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Eglise Notre-Dame de la Croix de Menilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Parc de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Parc de Belleville

I continue further northeast into Belleville and beyond, towards the Place des Fêtes and the Cimetière de Belleville, then for the last long leg of the day, through the eastern portion of Ménilmontant and the Père Lachaise Cemetery, ending near the bottom of the expansive 20th arrondissement at the Porte de Montreuil.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Cimetière de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Église Saint-Germain de Charonne

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Ménilmontant is vibrant with its mix working class, immigrant but also trendy in its artistic and bohemian sensibilities, rich in edgy graffiti and street art. The architectural landscape is diverse, elegant and palatial 19th century apartment buildings contrasting with rundown tenement buildings and ultra-modern structures, all vying for the visitor’s eye.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Eglise Notre-Dame de la Croix de Menilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Eglise Notre-Dame de la Croix de Menilmontant

Not so welcoming are some of the more marginal denizens on the street, threatening violence if I point my camera in their direction, which in the end serves as nothing more than a provocation, even better, leading me into some fairly entertaining conversations.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Eglise Notre-Dame de la Croix de Menilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Adjacent the Ménilmontant metro station is the Musée d’Edith Piaf, an unassuming collection of mementos of the singer’s life and work. Bernard Marchois, who met the chanteuse when he was a teenager and became a lifelong fan, dedicated two rooms of his fourth-floor flat, in which he still lives, to her memory. The museum features paintings and photos of the singer covering the walls, and a large stuffed bear, a gift from her husband, sits in a chair near the door. Also among the pieces on display are dresses she performed. The tragedy and hardships in Piaf’s life are readily apparent here too, including the illness and drug addiction that plagued much of her life. The space has a sense of intimacy due the fact of being in a private home as well as her correspondence scattered among her personal belongings.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Eglise Notre-Dame de la Croix de Menilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Parc de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Parc de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Parc de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Parc de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Parc de Belleville

The 11th arrondissement, also known as Popincourt, is one of the most densely populated urban districts of any European city. To the west lies the Place de la République, which is linked to the Place de la Bastille, in the east, by the sweeping, tree-lined Boulevard Richard-Lenoir, with its large markets and children’s parks. The Place de la Bastille and the rue du Faubourg St Antoine are full of fashionable cafés, restaurants, and nightlife, and also contain a range of boutiques and galleries.

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

The Oberkampf district to the north is another popular area for nightlife. The east is more residential, with more wholesale commerce, while the areas around the Boulevard Voltaire and the Avenue Parmentier are livelier crossroads for the local community. In recent years this district has emerged as one of the trendiest regions of Paris. The area divides further into four administrative quartiers that have their own unique character.

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

The Quartier de la Folie-Méricourt is bordered to the north by the rue du Faubourg-du-Temple, to the east by le boulevard de Belleville, to the west by blvd du Temple and the south by rue Oberkampf. This quartier is quite lively with many restaurants and bars frequented by young and upscale customers. It is known as a ‘BoBo’ quartier (bohemian) or hipster neighborhood, that is, those who support bohemian values but lead bourgeois lives.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

 

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Parc de Belleville

To the south lies the more residential quartier Saint-Ambroise, bordered to the north by rue Oberkampf, to the east by boulevard Ménilmontant, west by blvd des Filles-du-Calvaire and part of boulevard Beaumarchais and to the south by rue du Chemin-Vert. Further to the south yet lie the Quartier de la Roquette, with many bars and restaurants located along rue de la Roquette, and the Quartier Sainte-Marguerite, mostly a quiet residential area with some bars and restaurants along rue de Charonne and rue du Faubourg-Saint-Antoine.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 11e arrondissement – Folie-Méricourt

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Ménilmontant

Paris – 20e arrondissement

The Belleville cemetery historically belonged to the Peletier family of Saint-Fargeau, which maintained since 1695 a field of fifty hectares on the hill. The place was used for optical telegraph experiments by Claude Chappe from 1790 to 1798, since the cemetery is at the highest point of Paris at 128.5 metres. A cemetery was inaugurated on the property in 1804; originally a communal cemetery of the village of Belleville, the cemetery was taken over by the city of Paris during the annexation of the Belleville territory in 1860.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Cimetière de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Cimetière de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Cimetière de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Cimetière de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Cimetière de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Cimetière de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

The Télégraphe neighborhood and eastern fringe of Ménilmontant give way to a modern cityscape, although not altogether drab, intriguing design touches visible on many of the structures, complimented by occasional green spaces, including the Square des Saint-Simoniens – Ménilmontant and square Édouard-Vaillant, just east of Père Lachaise cemetery.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Parc de Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Saint-Fargeau

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

The streets of the neighborhood weave sinuously southward and downward in elevation, accompanied by atmospheric staircases that offer dramatic views to the south of the arrondissement. Immigrant families meander the narrow alleys of the area, dramatic modernist structures soaring high above. Small squares with playgrounds, commemorative statues, libraries, schools, public transport and public art provide a continuous reminder of the social engagement of local governments to provide for its citizens.

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Belleville

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

There are also several interesting historic buildings towards the southern end of the 20th arrondissement. One of them, the church Saint-Germain-de-Charonne harmoniously combines some vestiges of the twelfth century (large pillars of the tower) with an elegant architecture, 15th and 18th centuries for the most part. Before 1860, date of attachment to Paris, it was the parish church of the old village of Charonne which it constituted the heart with the street Saint-Blaise.

Paris – 20e arrondissement – Église Saint-Germain de Charonne

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

Paris – 20e arrondissement – St Blaise

(narrative excerpted from Wikipedia and Wikitravel)