Where is Ivry ?

Ivry, by its full name, Ivry-sur-Seine (Ivry upon Seine) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. Paris's main Asian district, the Quartier Asiatique in the 13th arrondissement, borders the commune and now extends into the northern parts of Ivry. Asian commercial activity, especially Chinese and Vietnamese, has greatly increased in Ivry-sur-Seine during the past two decades. The commune contains one of the highest concentrations of Vietnamese in France, who began settling in the city in the late 1970s after the Vietnam War.

Paris and inner ring departments

 

History

Originally, Ivry-sur-Seine was called simply Ivry. The name Ivry comes from the Gaulish "Eburiacum", meaning "place of the yews". “sur-Seine” signifies the fact that the Seine borders the eastern flank of the city. On January 1st, 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by the annexation of neighboring municipalities. On this occasion, about a third of the commune of Ivry-sur-Seine, which today forms Chinatown, was annexed to Paris. The other two thirds form the city of Ivry as we know it today.

Landmarks and sights

Saint-Pierre-Saint-Paul church (construction began in 1158)
(Poulpy - Creative Commons)

Town hall
(Guilhem Vellut - Creative Commons)

The “Stars” of Ivry
(Guilhem Vellut - Creative Commons)

The Cormailles departmental park
(Pascal3012 - Creative Commons)

Mill of the Tower
(LPLT - Creative Commons)

Chinagora Hotel
(Raimond Spekking - Creative Commons)

Apart for its brutalist architecture which brings a particular asset, Ivry is best known for its political position. It is considered a historic bastion of the French Communist Party, from which all its mayors have come since 1925. Since 1945, only 4 mayors have succeeded each other: Georges Marrane, Jacques Laloë, Pierre Gosnat and Philippe Bouyssou, re-elected in 2020.

We now know a little more about the city, but how did it manage to have so much influence that it was able to revolutionize the way French cities are run? All this is due to this small doctrine coming precisely from its political party, municipal communism.