13th arrondissement of Paris


The 13th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as treizième.
The arrondissement, called Gobelins, is situated on the left bank of the River Seine. It is home to Paris's principal Asian community, the Quartier Asiatique, located in the southeast of the arrondissement in an area that contains many high-rise apartment buildings. The neighborhood features a high concentration of ethnic Chinese and Vietnamese businesses. The current mayor is , who was re-elected by the arrondissement council on 29 March 2008 after the list which he headed gained 70% of the votes cast in the second round of the 2008 French municipal elections, and was again re-elected on 13 April 2014.
The 13th arrondissement also hosts the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand and the newly built business district of Paris Rive Gauche.

Demographics

The 13th arrondissement is still growing in population, mainly because of an influx of Asian immigrants. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the first wave of Vietnamese refugees from the Vietnam War settled in the arrondissement, largely concentrated near Masséna Boulevard. Later waves of refugees and Asian immigrants transitioned from being exclusively ethnic Vietnamese to include ethnic Chinese from Vietnam, Laotians and Cambodians. These migrants largely settled in the southern area of the arrondissement, creating an Asian quarter and establishing a commercial district and community institutions. Teochew, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Lao and Khmer are spoken by many residents in the community.
At the last census in 1999, the population was 171,533. The 13th arrondissement is also rapidly growing in business activity, thanks to the new business district of Paris Rive Gauche. In 1999, the arrondissement contained 89,316 jobs, and it is believed to contain more today.

Historical population

Immigration

Map

Economy

The head office of Accor, including the company's executive management, is in the Immeuble Odyssey in the 13th arrondissement. This facility is the company's registered office.
Ubisoft has its business office in the arrondissement.

Education

Senior high schools:
The 13th arrondissement is home to engineering graduate schools, Arts et Métiers ParisTech and Télécom ParisTech. The teaching and learning center is settled at the number 151.

Cityscape

Places of interest

A newly dedicated public square named after the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat is under construction.