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The 11th district is far from
being the most touristical quarter in Paris.
The cemetery of Père-Lachaise and the Opéra Bastille
are located very close, but in other districts. Even the Canal
Saint-Martin disappears under the ground when it enters the district
and reappears when it leaves it. Here is the map:
10h Belleville
___---.
___--- \
Pl---\ \
Rép `B \ 20th
`. \d \
| \ ` \
| `.\R \Ménilmontant
| `i \
| \c \
| `h \
| \a . \
| `r \A \ Père-Lachaise
| |d \v \
| ' `\ \
| /L \V \
| .e `.o \
| /n \l \
| .o `.t \
| /i \a \
3rd | .r `.i \
Pl/ \r \
Bast___ `.e \
------______ \ \
------__`Pl_|
12th Nation
Everything in italics is outside the district. The 11th
district is the 8th most populated district in Paris with 149,102
inhabitants in 1990. It's the 9th smallest district (3.67
km2).
Like the 10th district, the 11th district is
located between two boulevard rings. It's mostly a quiet residential district. The street network
is made of more passageways, backyards and dead ends than anywhere
else in Paris. But don't expect any glamour here. In many respects,
the 11th district marks the transition between the 20th-century external districts and the 16th-
to 18th-century Marais which extends over the 3th and 4th districts.
Boulevard Richard-Lenoir crosses the district from north to
south. Its central promenade covers the Canal
Saint-Martin. The boulevard reaches Place de la Bastille
before the Canal becomes the Bassin de l'Arsenal.
Place de la Bastille is famous because of one of
the most famous events in French history. In the 18th century, the
Bastille was a fortress; political opponents were regularly
imprisoned there, to the point that a verb, "embastiller", was
invented for that purpose. On July 14th, 1789, the
Parisians gathered in the streets and marched towards the
Bastille. At that time there were few guards and even fewer prisoners
inside. Yet, the fall of the Bastille became the
greatest symbol of the French Revolution. One year later, a holiday
was organized on the Champ-de-Mars (where the Eiffel Tower stands
today) on July 14th, and that day became the national holiday.
Nowadays, Bastille is known for its night life, particularly the
north-east part that belongs to the 11th district. Bars in rue de
Lappe and the neighborhood are full at night.