Bercy () is a neighbourhood in the

12th arrondissement of Paris The 12th arrondissement of Paris (''XIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le douzième'' ("the twelfth"). Situated on the right bank of the River Seine, it is ...

, the city's 47th administrative neighbourhood.

History

Some of the oldest vestiges of human occupation in Paris were found on the territory of Bercy, dating from the late Neolithic (between 4000 and 3800 BC). The name of Bercy, or Bercix, appeared for the first time in property deeds in the twelfth century. The area belonged for a time to the

Montmorency family The House of Montmorency, pronounced , was one of the oldest and most distinguished noble families in France. Origins The family name Montmorency derived from their castle in the ''pays de France'', recorded in Latin as ''Mons Maurentiacus'', i ...

before passing to the Malons family, who had an old manor house expanded by

François Le Vau François Le Vau (1624 – 4 July 1676) was a French architect and a founding member of the Académie Royale d'Architecture (established in 1671). He is also known for being the youngest brother of the more famous French architect, Louis Le Vau. ...

into the

Château de Bercy The Château de Bercy was a Louis XIII château located in Bercy, a part of modern-day Charenton-le-Pont in Paris, France. History The château was constructed beginning in 1658 for Charles-Henri I de Malon de Bercy by architect François Le V ...

. In the eighteenth century, a large site located along the Seine, contiguous to the Paris city limits of the time, began to be used as a warehousing area, particularly for wine. For two hundred years, the area was the thriving centre of the Paris wine trade and a place with a unique life and culture. Bercy was formerly a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

. In 1860, when Paris annexed its suburban zone, the commune of Bercy was dissolved. The north-west portion of its territory was consolidated into

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

while the south-east portion, beyond the fortifications, was consolidated into

Charenton-le-Pont Charenton-le-Pont () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris, to the north of the confluence of the Seine and Marne (river), Marne rivers; the () pa ...

Features

File:Quartier de Bercy, Paris - OSM 2020.svg, Map File:Paris - Orthophotographie - 2018 - Quartier de Bercy 02.jpg, Aerial view

The area features a number of well-known landmarks: * The Ministry of Finances (often known simply as "Bercy"), built in the 1980s; the extremity of the building plunges into the river Seine, where two fast boats dedicated to VIP transportation are moored. * The ''

Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy Palais () may refer to: * Dance hall, popularly a ''palais de danse'', in the 1950s and 1960s in the UK * ''Palais'', French for palace ** Grand Palais, the Grand Palais des Champs-Elysées **Petit Palais, an art museum in Paris * Palais River in ...

'' (POPB) is a large sports hall often used for concerts. It is now called AccorHotels Arena * The

Parc de Bercy The Parc de Bercy (English: Park of Bercy) is a public park located along the Rive Droite in the 12th arrondissement of Paris. Development started in 1994 on the site of a former wine depot, before an official opening three years later by Mayor Je ...

* The

Cinémathèque Française The Cinémathèque Française (), founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement, the archive offers ...

, formerly the American Center, designed by

Frank Gehry Frank Owen Gehry, , FAIA (; ; born ) is a Canadian-born American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become world-renowned attractions. His works are considered ...

* The Cour Saint-Émilion shopping complex * The UGC Ciné Cité Bercy movie complex * The

Musée des Arts Forains The Musée des Arts Forains (Fairground Museum) is a private museum of funfair and fairground objects located within the Pavillons de Bercy in the 12th arrondissement of Paris at 53, avenue des Terroirs de France, Paris, France. It is open to the p ...

("The Fairground Art Museum"). Line 14 of the Métro crosses the neighbourhood. There are two stations:

Bercy Bercy () is a neighbourhood in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, the city's 47th administrative neighbourhood. History Some of the oldest vestiges of human occupation in Paris were found on the territory of Bercy, dating from the late Neolithic ...

and Cour Saint-Émilion.

References

External links

English-language overview of the development of the Bercy neighborhood
{{authority control Districts of Paris Former communes of Seine