Paris 14th District
Paris 14th District is commonly known as Quartier de l’Observatoire. It was born from the merging of the villages of Montsouris, Montrouge and Plaisance.
Modern day Paris 14th District includes: Quartier Montparnasse, Quartier du Parc Montsouris, Quartier du Petit Montrouge and Quartier de Plaisance.
Paris 14th district, and the Latin Quarter in the 5th district, are the only districts on the Left Bank to have been inhabited without interruption since Gallo-Roman times. These districts were indeed crossed by the great Roman road linking Paris to Rome, a road which later became the main route for pilgrims going to Santiago de Compostela.
Many hospices and religious establishments were thus built along the route to accommodate these pilgrims, whose starting point in Paris was the church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie Church. During the Second World War, this road served as a route for French troops and their allies during the liberation of Paris, and was renamed Avenue du Général-Leclerc.
The fertile alluvial soils of southern Paris have historically been devoted to the cultivation of cereals, fostering a flourishing milling industry that continued until the 20th century. At its peak, more than 60 windmills dotted this region, and the exploitation of plaster and tiles from local quarries played an important role in its development.
In the 17th century, King Louis XIV undertook vast urban transformations that redesigned the district. He notably commissioned the creation of the Boulevards du Sud, thta mirrored the Grands Boulevards of the right bank. Iconic monuments such as the Arcueil aqueduct, the Sainte-Anne hospital and the Paris Observatory were built during this period, followed by emblematic humanitarian institutions such as the Cochin hospital and the La Rochefoucault hospice a century later.
QUARTIER MONTPARNASSE: The Mur des Fermiers Généraux, built in the 1780s, cut the district into two sections. The south area, outside the wall’s toll gates attracted various establishments, such as cafés, open-air inns and entertainment establishments. Under Haussmann‘s direction, Paris 14th district underwent a profound transformation. Wide avenues lined with trees and public gardens were laid out, and the Sainte-Anne hospital was rebuilt. The Catacombes, the underground necropolis of Paris, and the Cimetière Montparnasse were also created in the 19th century.
Between the two World Wars, the Montparnasse district became a favourite haunt of intellectuals and artists of the New Wave, who left the Bateau-Lavoir in Montmartre.
Montparnasse contrasted sharply with the quiet, bourgeois QUARTIER MONTSOURIS, which was centred around the elegant Parc Montsouris, also developed during Haussmann’s works.
Today, Paris 14th district is mainly dedicated to small industries and crafts, while retaining its bohemian atmosphere. The area is home to numerous artists’ studios and residences, as well as the Cité Universitaire Internationale. The neighbourhood began to change profoundly in the 1970s, becoming a testing ground for contemporary urbanisation. However, the renovation of the Maine-Montparnasse station and the Montparnasse tower, deemed “ugly”, sparked controversy. This urbanisation project also included the creation of the Place de Catalogne, Echelles du Baroque, and Coulée Verte (landscaped promenade)along Rue Vercingétorix. Once again, developments that are far from being to everyone’s liking!
Metro stations serving Paris 14th District
Line 4: Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, Vavin, Raspail, Denfert-Rochereau, Mouton-Duvernet, Alésia, Porte d’Orléans
Line 6: Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, Edgar Quinet, Raspail, Denfert-Rochereau, St-Jacques
Line 13: Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, Gaîtée, Pernety, Plaisance, Porte de Vanves
RER B: Denfert-Rochereau, Cité Universitaire
