The 12th arrondissement of Paris (XII<sup>e</sup> arrondissement) is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. Situated on the right bank of the River Seine, it is the easternmost arrondissement of Paris, as well as the largest by area. In 2023, it had a population of 138,024. Some of these objects are now exhibited in the Carnavalet Museum.

During the Roman era, the area that is now the 12th arrondissement was a largely uninhabited wetland fed by streams originating in the surrounding hills. The area was crossed by a Roman road that linked Paris to Chelles and Meaux to the east and to Melun to the southeast.

The Bois and the Château of Vincennes

In the 11th century, the forest that would later become the bois de Vincennes was considered to be non-arable land. When Hugues Capet, King of the Franks, took up residence on the Île de la Cite, he used the bois de Vincennes as his hunting ground. The bois was then reserved for the exclusive use of the kings of France. Under Philippe Auguste it was enclosed by a 12&nbsp;km wall.<sup>:6</sup>

left|thumb|Saint Louis, administering justice under the oak of Vincennes

A hunting lodge was built by Louis VII around 1150, which was upgraded to a Manor House by Philippe Auguste, who made it a royal residence that was used over the 1150–1340 period. Legend has it that Louis IX, Saint Louis, administered justice under an oak tree in what is now the bois de Vincennes.

The long process of turning this residence into a fortified castle, the Château de Vincennes, began in about 1337, when Philippe VI de Valois decided to build a dungeon near the Manor House. Progressive upgrades by subsequent kings led to the construction of the fortifications, the Saint Chapelle de Vincennes and several residences within the fortified walls that were designed to cater to royal tastes and standards of living. The last king to use the Chateau extensively as a royal residence was Louis XIV, who later abandoned it in favour of the Chateau de Versailles.

Emergence of a community of artisans

left|thumb|The Saint Anthony of the Fields Abbey ([[Saint-Antoine-des-Champs)]]

In 1198, Foulques de Neuilly, preacher of the 4th crusade, built a small hermitage for reformed prostitutes in the marshes of what was to become the 12th arrondissement.

The Faubourg developed a specialty in furniture making and, especially, in cabinet making. The development was due mainly to the protection and favours accorded by the kings of France to the Abbey and its dependents, including a dispensation from taxes for artisans working in the territory of the Abbey. Moreover, in 1471, Louis XI authorised these artisans to work freely, without being subject to the control of the guilds.

The distinctive courtyards and narrow passageways that characterise the Faubourg served groups of craftsmen who lived and worked together in the same building. This social organisation of production gradually faded out and had disappeared entirely by the final decades of the 20th century.

The country estates of the nobility

left|thumb|La Folie Rambouillet

thumb|19th century etching of a wine depot at Bercy

The area next to the Seine that is now the 12th arrondissement was favoured by the French aristocracy as the site for their luxurious country estates. These included the "folie Rambouillet" which built by the Protestant financier and royal counsellor, Nicolas de Rambouillet, between 1633 and 1635. The property was further developed by Madame de la Sablière (1636–1693), who received prominent non-Catholic ambassadors there prior to their formal entry into Paris. She also hosted elegant receptions and salons there and offered lodging to the poet, Jean de la Fontaine. The estate was particularly known for its gardens, which were left open for the public to visit. In 1719, the estate was sold to the banker John Law, who converted the gardens into leased vegetable plots. Recovered construction materials were subsequently sold, along with various mementos of the infamous building (keys, paper weights, etc.).<sup>:272</sup>

The neighbourhood also played a prominent role in the Reign of Terror that followed. In the southern part of what is now the Place de la Nation, a guillotine was erected in June 1794. Of the 2,639 people guillotined in Paris during the Revolution, 1,306 were beheaded there. Their bodies were then thrown into two mass graves in what is now the nearby Picpus Cemetery. Much of the land these structures now occupy was formerly district of wine warehouses for wine and spirits arriving by river transport from Burgundy and the Loire.

|1872|87,678

|1954|158,437

|1962|161,574

|1968 |155982

|1975 |140900

|1982 |138015

|1990 |130257

|1999 |136591

|2007 |142425

|2012 |144925

|2017 |140296

|2023 |138024

Immigration

References and footnotes

  • Mairie 12 website (in French)