19ème arrondissement - Buttes Chaumont Property Insight

The 19th arrondissement is located in the north eastern part of the Paris agglomeration, and it shares borders with the 18th district in the west, the 20th and the 10th in the south, and the Seine Saint Denis department in the north. With 187,600 inhabitants in 2007, it is the fourth largest district in terms of population. Moreover, it is the fastest growing arrondissement in Paris city.

The district is composed of the historical villages of La Villette and Belleville and it was named after the namesake beautiful park. It is a rather residential area where property prices are the most affordable within the centre of the city (the only district under €5,000 /sq m).

Many people, mostly historians, claim that the way the annexation of the district was made in 1850 was a mistake. Indeed, the La Villette and Belleville former villages were divided and mixed up while they should have preserved their borders.

All arrondissements in Paris are divided into four quarters; as follows are the quarters of the 19th arrondissement.

• Quartier de La Villette: it is the quarter that best represents the former village of La Villette. It is located west of the district and is the 2nd most expensive area, after Combat. You will find there the La Villette Lake Basin, the largest artificial water tank in Paris. Around the basin there are the university residences, the last bascule bridge in Paris, called the Pont levant de la rue de Crimée, the cinema complex MK2, etc.
• Quartier du Pont-de-Fandres: located in the north part of the area, the quarter was formerly occupy by the slaughterhouse and the cattle market. Nowadays, these two buildings, that used to occupy over than half of the area were remplaced by the Villette Park, which is composed of the Sciences and Industry City, the Grande Halle, the Zenith and the Music City.
• Quartier d’Amérique: located in the south east of the district, the quarter was called America as it used to be a huge quarry where they would extract a white stone to export it toward America. This stone is said to be the one with which they built the White House in Washington. Nowadays theses quarries were remplaced by the huge and beautiful Buttes Chaumont park, a genuine haven of piece for Parisians.
• Quartier du Combat: the area was named after a bloody show that used to take place in this region of the city. It was a fight which opposed cocks, dogs, and even bulls and horses. It was finally forbidden against the will of the locals. This quarter was also renowned to be one of the most horrible in Paris due to the presence of around gallow that could take around 50 persons at the same time. In 1627 the gallow was removed further outside the city.

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19ème arrondissement - Buttes Chaumont Immobilier & Property Market Trends

The real estate in the 19th arrondissement of Paris is the most affordable one in terms of prices. The square meter is even cheaper there than in numerous cities of the suburb. Many bargains are to be driven in this district. And this is especially a great opportunity to live next to the popular Place des Fêtes and lively areas such as Ourcq, Crimée, Buttes Chaumont and Jean Jaurès.

A property in the 19eme is sold €4,850 /sq m which make it more affordable than any other arrondissement. They decreased by 4.5% in 2008 and 3.6% in the first quarter of 2009. Futhermore, it boasts many assets: lively nightlife and closeness to the Parc des expositions de la Villette amongst others.

If you want to buy a house, Rue Mouzaïa is the ideal location: houses with gardens are on offer. However, the sale of apartments is not as widespread as in the rest of Paris.

Some quarters such as Parc des Buttes Chaumont or Belleville are very sought-after and prices may be slightly higher. An up and coming area is the Porte de la Chappelle where new green spaces should be built.

The following table displays property prices in the 19eme 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 19ème arrondissement - Buttes Chaumont

• Zenith de Paris: located in the Parc de La Villette, the Zenith de Paris, with a capacity of 6,300 seats is one of the largest concert venues in Paris. It was built in 1983 and alike the Eiffel Tower, it was meant to stay only 3 years. However, after its dramatic success it was decided it would stand still and it was even copied in many cities in the country ( Strasbourg, Toulouse, Montpellier, Nantes, Clermont-Ferrand, Rouen, Dijon, Pau, Toulon, Saint-Étienne, Caen, Orléans, Nancy, Amiens, Lille and Limoges ). They all have the same name as it is a registered brand.

• Parc de la Buttes Chaumont: it is the third largest park in Paris, after the Parc de La Villette and the Parc des Tuileries. It is a piece of heaven for Parisians in search of peacefulness and tranquility. It is 25 hectares large, and includes 12 hectares of grass, 6 hectares of flowers, 1.5 hectare of lake, and 2.2 kilometres of pathway. The park was also renowned to be an important place of erotism during the 19th century, especially around the Sibylle temple.

• Parc de la Villette: it is the largest park of Paris, with 55 hectares of area. The park is composed of: the Sciences and Industry City, the Geode, the Music City, the conservatoire, the pavillon Paul Delouvrier, the Zenith of Paris, many theme gardens, the cinaxe (a special cinema room), the Trabendo (a show room), the Cabaret Sauvage, etc. Concerts, shows and cultural events vary during the whole year.

• Conservatoire: in the La Villette park you will find both the Music City and the Music Conservatoire. The latter is one of the most prestigious college of music and dance worldwide. Built in 1795, it was split into two conservatoires in 1946: one for acting, theatre and drama and the other one for music and dance.