Cité internationale universitaire de Paris () or the Cité universitaire (CIUP or ''Cité U'') is a university campus, a private
park
A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. Since 1925, it has provided general and public services, including the maintenance of several dozen residences housing around 6,000 students and visiting academics in the
Île-de-France
The Île-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
region. Officially recognized as a foundation of public interest, the CIUP promotes exchanges between students from around the world in a spirit of tolerance.
The Cité universitaire de Paris is administered by the CIUP foundation, and the universities of Paris own the campus. They are represented by the Chancellery of the Universities of Paris, which sits on the foundation's board of directors.
History
The Cité internationale universitaire de Paris was established after
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
intellectual
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...
s from around the world in a spirit of peace, unity and friendly cooperation. The CIUP was originally built for the
University of Paris
The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...
, hence its name appears in several of its buildings, notably the Maison Internationale. Most of the buildings constructed for the University of Paris are now owned by the Chancellerie des Universités de Paris.
Several CIUP structures have been designed by architects of note, such as
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , ; ), was a Swiss-French architectural designer, painter, urban planner and writer, who was one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture ...
Heydar Ghiai
Heydar-Gholi Khan Ghiaï- Chamlou (; 23 October 1922 – 6 September 1985)Claude Parent. The residences are organized mostly by nationality, although residents in each ''maison'' are not necessarily from the countries implied by building names. Up to 30%-50% of the student residents in each residence may come from different nationalities. In 2006, students of 132 different nationalities lived in the Cité Internationale. In the early 21st century, the CIUP acquired two residences outside its original perimeter, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
Alongside two stadiums on campus, the CIUP has direct access to the Stade Sébastien Charléty, a 20,000 seat stadium which is home to the Paris Université Club, the sports club of the Université de Paris, located across the street.
Pol Pot
Pol Pot (born Saloth Sâr; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian politician, revolutionary, and dictator who ruled the communist state of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until Cambodian–Vietnamese War, his overthrow in 1979. During ...
Karen Blixen
Baroness Karen Christentze von Blixen-Finecke (born Dinesen; 17 April 1885 – 7 September 1962) was a Danish author who wrote in Danish and English. She is also known under her pen names Isak Dinesen, used in English-speaking countries; Ta ...
(Fondation Danoise)
*
Habib Bourguiba
Habib Bourguiba (3 August 19036 April 2000) was a Tunisian politician and statesman who served as the Head of Government of Tunisia, prime minister of the Kingdom of Tunisia from 1956 to 1957, and then as the first president of Tunisia from 1 ...
*
Josep Puig i Cadafalch
Josep Puig i Cadafalch (; 17 October 1867 in Mataró – 21 December 1956 in Barcelona) was a Spanish architect who designed many significant buildings in Barcelona, and a politician who had a significant role in the development of Catalan regio ...
Aimé Césaire
Aimé Fernand David Césaire (; ; 26 June 1913 – 17 April 2008) was a French poet, author, and politician from Martinique. He was "one of the founders of the Négritude movement in Francophone literature" and coined the word in French. He ...
Roméo LeBlanc
Roméo-Adrien LeBlanc (December 18, 1928June 24, 2009) was a Canadian journalist and politician who served as the 25th governor general of Canada from 1995 to 1999.
LeBlanc was born and educated in New Brunswick, and also studied in France prior ...
Rajendra Prasad
Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar who served as the first president of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independen ...
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary criticism, literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th ...
* Marcel Gaumont Sculptor of relief on university entrance
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Dzovinar Kévonian et Guillaume Tronchet (ed.), ''La Babel étudiante. La Cité internationale universitaire de Paris (1920-1950)'', Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2013. online
* Dzovinar Kévonian et Guillaume Tronchet (dir.)'', Le Campus-monde. La Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, de 1945 aux années 2000)'', Presses universitaires de Rennes, 2022, 336 p. online
* Bertrand Lemoine (préf. Étienne Dalmasso), La Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, Paris, Hervas, 1990, 120 p.
* Guillaume Tronchet, ''André Honnorat. Un visionnaire en politique'', Hémisphères éditions, 2020, 448 p.
* Guillaume Tronchet, "Diplomatie universitaire ou diplomatie culturelle? La Cité internationale universitaire de Paris entre deux rives (1920-1940)", dans Dzovinar Kévonian et Guillaume Tronchet (dir.), ''La Babel étudiante. La Cité internationale universitaire de Paris (1920-1950)'', Rennes, PUR, 2013, p. 59-88. online
* Guillaume Tronchet, « La Cité universitaire : une ''joint-venture'' transnationale dans le Paris des années 1920 et 1930 », ''in'' Serge Jaumain et Pierre Van den Dungen (dir), ''Biermans-Lapôtre. Histoire d’un mécène et de sa fondation'', Bruxelles, Lannoo/Racine Editions, 2013, p. 85-100.