The 7th arrondissement of Paris (''VII^e arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is known for being, along with the 16th arrondissement and the ''commune'' of Neuilly-sur-Seine, the richest neighbourhood in France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''le septième''. The arrondissement, called Palais-Bourbon in a reference to the seat of the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

, includes some of the major and well-known tourist attractions of Paris, such as the

Eiffel Tower The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889. Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...

, the

Hôtel des Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldi ...

(

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's resting place), the Chapel of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, as well as a concentration of museums such as the

Musée d'Orsay The Musée d'Orsay ( , , ) () is a museum in Paris, France, on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank of the Seine. It is housed in the former Gare d'Orsay, a Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts railway station built from 1898 to 1900. The museum holds mai ...

Musée Rodin The Musée Rodin () of Paris, France, is an art museum that was opened in 1919, primarily dedicated to the works of the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. It has two sites: the Hôtel Biron and surrounding grounds in central Paris, as well as just ...

and the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac. Situated on the

Rive Gauche The Rive Gauche (; Left Bank) is the southern bank of the river Seine in Paris. Here the river flows roughly westward, cutting the city in two parts. When facing downstream, the southern bank is to the left, whereas the northern bank (or Rive Dr ...

—the "Left" bank of the

River Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres p ...

—this central arrondissement, which includes the historical aristocratic neighbourhood of Faubourg Saint-Germain, contains a number of French national institutions, among them the National Assembly and numerous

government ministries Ministry or department (also less commonly used secretariat, office, or directorate) are designations used by first-level Executive (government), executive bodies in the Machinery of government, machinery of governments that manage a specific se ...

. It is also home to many foreign diplomatic

embassies A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes a ...

, some of them occupying outstanding hôtels particuliers. The arrondissement has been home to the French

upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status. Usually, these are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper cla ...

since the 17th century, when it became the new residence of France's highest

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

. The district has been so fashionable within the French

aristocracy Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense Economy, economic, Politics, political, and soc ...

that the phrase ''le Faubourg''—referring to the ancient name of the current 7th arrondissement—has been used to describe French nobility ever since. Balzac explains the very specific ''Faubourg's aristocratic way of life'' in his novel ''La Duchesse de Langeais'' The 7th arrondissement of Paris and

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

form the most affluent and prestigious residential area in France.

History

During the 17th century, French

high nobility Traditional rank amongst European imperiality, royalty, peers, and nobility is rooted in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Although they vary over time and among geographic regions (for example, one region's prince might be equal to anothe ...

started to move from the central Marais, the then-aristocratic district of Paris where

nobles Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. T ...

used to build their urban

mansions A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... from the Latin w ...

(see Hotel de Soubise), to the clearer, less populated and less polluted Faubourg Saint-Germain. The district became so fashionable within the French

that the phrase ''le Faubourg'' has been used to describe French nobility ever since. The oldest and most prestigious families of the French nobility built outstanding residences in the area, such as the

Hôtel Matignon The Hôtel Matignon (, ) is the official residence of the Prime Minister of France. It is located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, at 57 Rue de Varenne. The name Matignon is often used as a metonym for the governmental action of the French p ...

, the

Hôtel de Salm Salm may refer to People * Constance de Salm (1767–1845), poet and miscellaneous writer; through her second marriage, she became Princess of Salm-Dyck * Kat Salm, New Zealand geospatial scientist * Salm ibn Ziyad, an Umayyad governor of Kh ...

, and the Hôtel Biron. After the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

many of these

, offering magnificent inner spaces, many reception rooms and exquisite decoration, were confiscated and turned into national institutions. The French expression ''"les ors de la Republique"'' (literally ''"the golds of the Republic"''), refers to the luxurious environment of the national palaces (outstanding official residences and priceless works of art), comes from that time. During the Restauration, the ''Faubourg'' recovered its past glory as the most exclusive

district of Paris and was the political heart of the country, home to the

Ultra Ultra may refer to: Science and technology * Ultra (cryptography), the codename for cryptographic intelligence obtained from signal traffic in World War II * Adobe Ultra, a vector-keying application * Sun Ultra series, a brand of computer work ...

Party. After the Fall of

Charles X Charles X may refer to: * Charles X of France (1757–1836) * Charles X Gustav (1622–1660), King of Sweden * Charles, Cardinal de Bourbon (1523–1590), recognized as Charles X of France but renounced the royal title See also * * King Charle ...

, the district lost most of its political influence but remained the centre of the French

' social life. During the 19th century, the arrondissement hosted no fewer than five Universal Exhibitions (

1855 Events January–March * January 1 – Ottawa, Ontario, is incorporated as a city.' * January 5 – Ramón Castilla begins his third term as President of Peru. * January 23 ** The first bridge over the Mississippi River o ...

1867 There were only 354 days this year in the newly purchased territory of Alaska. When the territory transferred from the Russian Empire to the United States, the calendric transition from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar was made with only 1 ...

1878 Events January * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War: Battle of Shipka Pass IV – Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Russo-Turkish War: ...

1889 Events January * January 1 ** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada. ** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the Dakotas ...

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15 ...

) that have immensely impacted its cityscape. The

and the Orsay building were built for these Exhibitions (respectively in 1889 and 1900).

Geography

The arrondissement has a total land area of . It has an average elevation of 47 m, with a minimum of 25 m and a maximum of 71 m. The 7th arrondissement borders the left bank of the Seine to the north, Rue des Saints-Pères to the east, and Rue de Sèvres to the south-east.

Demography

The 7th arrondissement attained its peak population in 1926 when it had 110,684 inhabitants. Because it is the location of so many French government bodies, this arrondissement has never been as densely populated as some of the others. In 1999, the population was 56,985, while the arrondissement provided 76,212 jobs.

Historical population

Immigration

Notable residents

Simone Veil Simone Veil (; ; 13 July 1927 – 30 June 2017) was a French magistrate, Holocaust survivor, and politician who served as health minister in several governments and was President of the European Parliament from 1979 to 1982, the first woman t ...

(1927–2017) * Pierre Victor, Baron de Besenval de Brunstatt

Cityscape

File:Champ de Mars from the Eiffel Tower - July 2006 edit.jpg, Champ-de-Mars view from the top of the Eiffel Tower File:Jielbeaumadier tour eiffel paris 2007.jpg, The

File:Invalides 2007 03 11.jpg, St. Louis Chapel of the

view from avenue de Breteuil File:Dome hotel des invalides.JPG, Inside

's Chapel File:Rue de Solférino vue depuis la passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor.jpg, View of rue de Solférino from the Léopold-Sédar-Senghor bridge File:Seine and 7th Arrondissement June 2010.jpg, The Seine and the 7th arrondissement as seen from the Eiffel Tower File:Typical Paris Apartment.jpg, Typical Parisian architecture in the 7th arrondissement

Places of interest

Important places include: *

Palais Bourbon The Palais Bourbon () is the meeting place of the National Assembly, the lower legislative chamber of the French Parliament. It is in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, on the Rive Gauche of the Seine across from the Place de la Concorde. The offi ...

, meeting place of the

* Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris *

* Hôtel de Boisgelin (Rue de Varenne, Paris), historic building, home to the Italian embassy in Paris. *

Hôtel de Besenval The Hôtel de Besenval is a historic ''hôtel particulier'' in Paris, dating largely from the 18th century, with a ''Court of honor (architecture), cour d'honneur'' and a large English landscape garden, an architectural style commonly known as ''en ...

Champ de Mars Champ, CHAMP or The Champ may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Champ (cartoon character), an animated dog introduced in 1960 * The Champ, played on radio and created by Jake Edwards (radio personality), Jake Edwards * Champ ...

École Militaire École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

* Maison Gainsbourg *

Maison de Verre The Maison de Verre ( French for House of Glass) was built from 1928 to 1932 in Paris, France. Constructed in the early modern style of architecture, the house's design emphasized three primary traits: honesty of materials, variable transpar ...

* Musée du quai Branly * Musée national de la Légion d'Honneur et des Ordres de Chevalerie * Musée Maillol *

Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération The Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération () is a military museum located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France. The museum is dedicated to the Ordre de la Libération, France's second national order after the Légion d'honneur, which was cre ...

* Musée Valentin Haüy *

Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris Sciences Po () or Sciences Po Paris, also known as the Paris Institute of Political Studies (), is a public research university located in Paris, France, that holds the status of ''grande école'' and the legal status of . The university's unde ...

(Sciences Po) * Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, Paris * Saint-Pierre-du-Gros-Caillou

Art and industry

* Musée du quai Branly * Musée national de la Légion d'Honneur et des Ordres de Chevalerie * Musée Maillol *

* Musée Valentin Haüy *

National Horticultural Society of France The National Horticultural Society of France (French: ''Société nationale dhorticulture de France'', or SNHF) is a horticultural society founded in 1827 by Louis-Étienne Héricart de Thury. Headquartered in Paris, it comprises specialized depa ...

Economy

Air Liquide Air Liquide S.A. ( , ; literally " liquid air") is a French multinational company which supplies industrial gases and services to various industries including medical, chemical and electronic manufacturers. Founded in 1902, after Linde it is ...

Alcatel-Lucent Alcatel-Lucent S.A. () was a multinational telecommunications equipment company, headquartered in Boulogne-Billancourt, Paris, France. The company focused on Fixed line telephone, fixed, Mobile phone, mobile and telecommunications convergence, ...

, and Valode & Pistre have their head offices in this arrondissement.

Education

Public and private high schools: * Lycée Victor-Duruy * Établissement La Rochefoucauld * Institut de l'Alma * Lycée-collège Paul-Claudel * Lycée d'Hulst * Lycée Sainte-Jeanne Elisabeth * Lycée Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin * Lycée Thérèse-Chappuis Istituto Statale Italiano Leonardo Da Vinci, an Italian international school, maintains two campuses in the arrondissement. The American University of Paris, a private liberal arts university, maintains several buildings near the Quai d'Orsay.

Government

The Ministry of Agriculture, the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

and the Ministry of National Education have their head offices in the arrondissement. Politically, the arrondissement is situated firmly on the right. The mayor of the 7th,

Rachida Dati Rachida Dati (, ; born 27 November 1965) is a French politician and former magistrate who has been Minister of Culture (France), Minister of Culture since January 2024 in the Attal government, government of Gabriel Attal, the Barnier government, ...

, was Minister of Justice under

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

's presidency and a member of the European Parliament for the centre-right UMP from 2009 to 2019. In the

2017 French presidential election Presidential elections were held in France on 23 April and 7 May 2017. Incumbent president François Hollande of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party (PS) was eligible to run for a second term, but declared on 1 December 2016 that he wo ...

, the 7th gave right-wing candidate

François Fillon François Charles Amand Fillon (; born 4 March 1954) is a French retired politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 2007 to 2012 under President Nicolas Sarkozy. He was the nominee of The Republicans (previously known as the Union ...

52.7% of its votes in the first round, compared to his poor national showing of only 20%. It then went on to vote for

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

in the runoff by a landslide.

Sport

The arrondissement hosted the equestrian events for the

1900 Summer Olympics The 1900 Summer Olympics (), today officially known as the Games of the II Olympiad () and also known as Paris 1900, were an international multi-sport event that took place in Paris, France, from 14 May to 28 October 1900. No opening or closin ...

.1900 Summer Olympics official report
. p. 16. Accessed 14 November 2010.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:7th Arrondissement Of Paris Venues of the 1900 Summer Olympics Olympic equestrian venues Histories of cities in France