13ème Arrondissement - Gobelins Property Insight

The 13th arrondissement of Paris is located in the south eastern part of the central Paris, on the left bank of the Seine River. It shares borders with the 5th arrondissement in the north, the 12th in the east, the the 14th in the west and the Val de Marne department in the south. It accounts for around 178,716 inhabitants in 2006 and is the third largest districts in term of area (625 hectares).

Before the amendments of central Paris, which consisted in increasing the number of arrondissements from 12 to 20, the 13th district, also called the Gobelin area, the region was a working class suburb, called the faubourg souffrant (literally the ailing suburb). However, now the district has developed and has nothing to envy to its neighbours. Even though it is not a very touristic area, it does displays some interesting places of interest, such as the National Library, the largest Chinatown of Paris and the Butte aux Cailles, a charming and authentic quarter.

The 13th arrondissement, alike the other 19 ones, is divided into four administrative quarters. However, locals prefer to refer to the cultural and historical quarters, which are: La Butte aux Cailles, Chinatown, Faubourg Saint Marcel and Paris Rive Gauche. Let’s have a look now at the administrative quarters:

• Quartier de la Salpêtrière: located in the north west part of the district, the quarter includes a part of the Faubourg Saint Marcel (in the north) and a part of the Paris Rive Gauche (in the south). It is not surprising to see that is it the second most expensive quarters of the 13th arrondissement, after Coulebarde, as it shares borders with the 5th arrondissement, and hence is the most central quarter. The quarter was named after the namesake Hospital (Hopital de la Pitié – Salpêtrière.
• Quartier de la Gare: located in the south east part of the district, the quarter is composed of Chinatown and the south part of the Paris Rive Gauche. It is actually the cheapest quarter of the 13th arrondissement, probably due to its distance to the centre of Paris. The National Library is also to be found in this area.
• Quartier de la Maison-Blanche: before the annexation of the 13th arrondissement to central Paris, the Maison Blanche district was a rural area composed of the Butte aux Cailles (a hill covered by meadows and mills) and some dwellings. Its fast urbanisation during the 19th century has deeply marked the area. The Butte aux Cailles quarter still exists and is a very peaceful area where you should go to have a walk and a drink.
• Quartier Croulebarbe: 20,050 inhabitants. The quarter was named after the street namesake, one of the oldest names in the Paris city. The quarter is located in the north west of the arrondissement and is composed of the Saint Marcel Faubourg. It includes the Gobelins manufacture, after which the arrondissement was named. It is the most expensive quarter in the district, probably because of its closeness to the centre of Paris.

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13ème Arrondissement - Gobelins Immobilier & Property Market Trends

The real estate market of the 13th arrondissement of Paris is the most affordable of the left bank of the Seine River. Prices dropped by 2.9% in 2008 and by 4% during the 1st quarter of 2009 and a property is now sold €5,840 /sq m on average. You will find there both prestigious and student areas. As the sector houses several schools as well as the national library, buy-to-let investments are worthwhile.

Some of its assets: very close to the ring road, pleasant lifestyle, affordable properties, lively district (especially Place d’Italie or near the Porte d’Ivry. There, many bars and restaurants make the area a dynamic one at night. If you are looking for a quiet place, a good choice could be the Poterne des Peupliers or Saint Marcel.

The most sought-after areas are: Gobelins, Butte aux Cailles or properties close to Montsouris park. The Butte aux Cailles attracts families and well-off investors because of its village-style streets and provincial character Rue Daviel offers half-timbered houses. The south of the arrondissement however remains a working class area made up of dwellings towers.

The following table displays property prices in the 13eme arrondissement in 2009:

To get updated info about the property prices in Paris, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.

Characteristics of the 13ème Arrondissement - Gobelins

• Sport: the 13th arrondissement boasts around 50 sport centres, which means that it is one of the best equipped arrondissement in the city. Between others you will find the Butte aux Cailles swimming pool, the Josephine Baker floating swimming pool on the Seine River, the Charléty stadium (hosts football, rugby and squash matches) and the Carpentier stadium.

• Nice quarters: the arrondissement displays some really picturesque and charming quarters. The Butte aux Cailles, as already mentioned, is a good place to go if you want to have a drink or go to the restaurant. From 7pm, the 2 main streets (rue de la Butte aux Cailles and rue des Cinq Diamants) are becoming crowded with students. The Asian quarter is another interesting place to visit. It is dwelt by people from China, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. It is particularly interesting to see how both western and eastern cultures are mixed up. Finally, the Faubourg Saint Marcel will tell you along about History, especially through the Gobelins manufacture. It used to be the one of the royal tapestry manufacture.

• Educational centre: owing to its residential identity, the 13th arrondissement displays many educational centres: - 63 kindergarten and primary schools - 35 high schools (private and public) - 5 University centres - 8 tertiary colleges

• Cultural and architectural heritage: the Louise-Weiss street is renowned to display many avant-garde art galleries. In this same area there are the Frigos, huge former refrigerated warehouses, which have now been transformed into art workshops. This arrondissement was also a good opportunity for many architects to express themselves. Indeed, as the district was mainly rural when annexed to Paris, everything was to be done. Many famous architects, such as Le Corbusier, Haussmann, Portzamparc, Tange and Norman Foster had their go.

• Transport infrastructures: the arrondissement is connected to the rest of the city thanks to 5 underground lines (5, 6, 7, 10, 14), one RER line (C), and one tramway line (3). The arrondissement also houses the Austerlitz railway station which links the north of France to the South of France.