La Butte-aux-Cailles

In the Butte‑aux‑Cailles district, literally "hill of the quails", the name doesn't refer to birds but to Pierre Caille, who owned a vineyard on this hill in 1543 in what is now the 13th arrondissement. This area once lay outside Paris, with meadows, windmills and later tanneries. In 1860, it officially became part of the city.

What makes this neighborhood special is its village-like atmosphere: cobbled streets, low houses and green gardens, without the grand Haussmannian architecture found elsewhere. Due to limestone quarries underground, heavy construction was impossible, helping preserve its intimate character. It feels almost like the countryside, right in the city.

A historic gem is the open-air swimming pool Piscine de la Butte‑aux‑Cailles, an art deco monument from 1924. It is fed by an artesian spring over 620 meters deep, with water that is tens of thousands of years old. This spring also feeds the fountain at Place Paul‑Verlaine. The Bièvre river once flowed beneath the district.

Today, bronze plaques mark its lost path, a silent tribute to the past. The neighborhood is rich in street art by artists like Miss Tic and Jef Aérosol, turning alleys into an open-air gallery. Historically, this hill was the site of the first manned balloon landing in Paris in 1783 and played a role during the Commune of 1871.