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 ...

, 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 before passing to the Malons family, who had an old manor house expanded by François Le Vau into the Château de Bercy. 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. 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. Si ...

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

Charenton-le-Pont Charenton-le-Pont () is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, to the north of the confluence of the Seine and Marne rivers; the () part of the name refers to the stone bridge acros ...

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 ...

'' (POPB) is a large sports hall often used for concerts. It is now called AccorHotels Arena * The Parc de Bercy * The Cinémathèque Française, 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 Fairground Art Museum"). Line 14 of the Métro crosses the neighbourhood. There are two stations: Bercy 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