12th arrondissement of Paris, Administrative district in eastern Paris, France
The 12th arrondissement covers 16.32 square kilometers in the eastern part of the city and includes four neighborhoods plus the Bois de Vincennes, making it the largest district by area. The Gare de Lyon sits centrally within the territory and serves as a major junction for long-distance travel to southern France and Switzerland.
The area took its present shape only in 1860, when several surrounding villages were officially incorporated into the Paris city limits. This administrative reform under Napoleon III shaped the eastern boundaries of the capital and increased its area considerably.
The Bercy quarter kept its old wine warehouses and turned them into shops and restaurants that now draw visitors from across the city. The area combines commercial history with modern leisure, without denying its original architecture.
Several metro lines cross the territory and provide quick access to the city center as well as neighboring districts to the south and east. The Gare de Lyon station is easy to reach and works well as a starting point for exploring the surrounding area.
Construction projects in the 1980s uncovered remains of Stone Age settlements and showed that people lived in this territory thousands of years ago. These archaeological finds count among the oldest human traces in the entire capital.
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