Pantin () is a
commune in the northeastern suburbs of
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 ...
,
ĂŽle-de-France
The ĂŽle-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 ...
, France. It is located from the
centre of Paris. In 2019 its population was estimated to be 59,846. Pantin is located on the edge of the city of Paris and is mainly formed by a plain crossed by national roadway 2 and 3, the Paris–Strasbourg railway line and the
canal de l'Ourcq
The Canal de l'Ourcq () is a long canal in the ĂŽle-de-France region (greater Paris) with 10 locks. It was built at a width of but was enlarged to 3.7 m (12 ft), which permitted use by more pleasure boats. The canal begins at Port ...
.
Geography
Pantin borders the Paris
Boulevard Périphérique
The Boulevard Périphérique (), often called the Périph, is a limited-access dual-carriageway ring road in Paris, France. With a few exceptions (see '' Structure and Layout''), it is situated along Paris's administrative limit.
The spee ...
, an inner
ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
, and is traversed by national routes
N2 and
N3, as well as the Paris-Strasbourg railway line and the
Ourcq canal
The Canal de l'Ourcq () is a long canal in the ĂŽle-de-France region (greater Paris) with 10 locks. It was built at a width of but was enlarged to 3.7 m (12 ft), which permitted use by more pleasure boats. The canal begins at Port ...
.
Urbanism
Typology
Pantin is an urban commune, as it is one of the dense or intermediate density communes, as defined by the
Insee communal density grid. It belongs to the
urban unit
In France, an urban unit () is a statistical area defined by INSEE, the French national statistics office, for the measurement of contiguously built-up areas. According to the INSEE definition , an "unité urbaine" is a commune alone or a grou ...
of
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 ...
, an inter-departmental conurbation comprising 407 communes and 10,785,092 inhabitants in 2017, of which it is a
suburb
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
an commune.
The commune is also part of the
functional area of Paris where it is located in the main population and employment centre of the functional area. This area comprises 1,929 communes.
Urban morphology

The main quarters or neighborhoods of the commune are:
* Mairie - Hoche
* Quatre-Chemins
* Petit Pantin - Les Limites
* Église
* Les Courtillières
Development projects
Jacqueline Osty, winner of the ''
Grand Prix de l'urbanisme'' in 2020, designed the of public spaces on the port site. She has forged a common base, preserving a continuous, mineral spirit, evocative of the port area's past, with a light use of vegetation in the form of long, straight grassed lines and green lounges between the housing developments.
Toponymy
The name Pantin was recorded for the first time in 1067 as ''Pentini'', perhaps from the
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of Roman civilization
*Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
patronym
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic.
Patronymics are used, ...
Pentinus, a variant of Pantaenus or Repentinus, but this etymology is not certain.
The first known deed in which the name Penthinum appears is a deed from the 11th century granting the Pantin estate to the
Saint-Martin-des-Champs Priory
The Priory of Saint-Martin-des-Champs was an influential monastery established in what is now the city of Paris, France. Its surviving buildings are considered treasures of Medieval architecture in the city.
History
Foundations
The oldest known ...
.
The name of Pantin is mentioned in the following forms:
* ''Pentinus'' in 1082;
* ''Pantinum'' in 1119;
* ''Pentin'' in 1151-1157;
* ''Pantin'' in 1256;
* ''Panthino'' in 1352;
* ''Panthin'' in 1499;
* ''Penthin'' in 1520;
* ''Pentin'' in 1598.
In 2023 the name was changed symbolically to Pantine, with an added "e" ending to indicate the feminine form and promote awareness of women's issues.
History
On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighbouring communes. On that occasion, a small part of the commune of Pantin was annexed to Paris.
On 24 July 1867, a part of the territory of Pantin was detached and merged with a part of the territory of
Romainville
Romainville () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, located in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France.
Location
It is located from the center of Paris.
History
On 24 July 1867, a part of the territory of Romainville was detached ...
and a part of the territory of
Bagnolet
Bagnolet () is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris.
History
On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occa ...
to create the commune of
Les Lilas
Les Lilas () is a Communes of France, commune in the northern-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris.
History
The commune of Les Lilas (literally "the lilacs") was created on 24 July 1867 by de ...
.
By 1875, the
Canal de l'Ourcq
The Canal de l'Ourcq () is a long canal in the ĂŽle-de-France region (greater Paris) with 10 locks. It was built at a width of but was enlarged to 3.7 m (12 ft), which permitted use by more pleasure boats. The canal begins at Port ...
(Ourcq canal) and new railway lines served to divide the town into two parts—the "Village" and the "Quatre Chemins". The
HĂ´tel de Ville was completed in 1886.
Heraldry
Future
The construction of a science park along the
Bassin de la Villette
The Bassin de la Villette (, La Villette Basin) is the largest artificial lake in Paris. It was filled with water on 2 December 1808. Located in the 19th arrondissement of the capital, it links the Canal de l'Ourcq to the Canal Saint-Martin, an ...
on the former site of city abattoirs has improved pedestrian access to Paris, as well as encouraging urban regeneration in Pantin itself. A key policy discussed since the 2008 mayoral election has been the possibility of integrating the ten banlieue towns of
Bagnolet
Bagnolet () is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris.
History
On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occa ...
,
Les Lilas
Les Lilas () is a Communes of France, commune in the northern-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris.
History
The commune of Les Lilas (literally "the lilacs") was created on 24 July 1867 by de ...
,
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais (; simply known by locals as Le Pré, i.e. "the meadow") is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. With a density of 25,643 inhabitants per square kilometres as of 2 ...
,
Romainville
Romainville () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department, located in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France.
Location
It is located from the center of Paris.
History
On 24 July 1867, a part of the territory of Romainville was detached ...
, Pantin,
Noisy-le-Sec
Noisy-le-Sec () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.
Population
Heraldry
Transport
Noisy-le-Sec is served by Noisy-le-Sec station on Paris RER line E.
Education
Schools:[< ...]
,
Montreuil Montreuil is a French place name derived from Medieval Latin , "Little Monastery".
It most often refers to Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis (aka Montreuil-sous-Bois), a French commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, Seine-St-Denis department.
It ma ...
,
Bobigny
Bobigny () is a commune, or town, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, ĂŽle-de-France, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Bobigny is the prefecture (capital city) of the Seine-Saint-Denis department, as well as the seat of the ...
,
Bondy
Bondy () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department.
Name
The name Bondy was recorded for the first time around AD 600 as ''Bonitiacum'', meaning " ...
and
Rosny-sous-Bois
Rosny-sous-Bois () is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris.
It is the seat of the national centre of road information of the national French Gendarmerie, g ...
into an "intercommune" of around 440,000 people. This new municipality could be created as early as January 2010. This project was implemented, it gathers nine communes. In 2016, Pantin was declared France's most polluted town by the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
.
Demographics
Immigration
Economy

Pantin was once the site of
Motobecane's operations.
2,000 companies are located in Pantin, including 21 of more than 100 employees. Huge firms are located in the town, like
Hermès
Hermès International S.A. ( , ) is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Since the ...
(580 jobs – upholstery and luxury luggage), Bourjois,
Chanel
Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...
,
Gucci
Guccio Gucci S.p.A., doing business as Gucci ( , ), is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house based in Florence. Its product lines include handbags, ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and home decoration; and it licenses its name and ...
,
Agnès b.
Agnes is a feminine given name derived from the Greek , meaning 'pure' or 'holy'. The name passed to Italian as , to French as , to Portuguese as , and to Spanish as . It is also written as "Agness". Inez is an English variant. The Greek na ...
, Sergent-Major, Elis (500 jobs – linen rental),
Forclum, UTB (400 jobs – public works), Photovista Legrand,
BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas (; sometimes referred to as BNPP or BNP) is a French multinational universal bank and financial services holding company headquartered in Paris. It was founded in 2000 from the merger of two of France's foremost financial instituti ...
,
Boiron
Boiron () is a manufacturer of homeopathic products, headquartered in France and with an operating presence in 59 countries worldwide. It is the largest manufacturer of homeopathic products in the world. In 2004, it had a workforce of 2,779 and t ...
,
Alliance Healthcare
Alliance Healthcare, formerly Alliance UniChem, is a wholesaler, distributor and retailer of pharmaceutical, surgical, medical, and healthcare products throughout Europe. The company supplies more than 110,000 pharmacies, doctors, health centres ...
,
Vetura, Fabio Lucci ... and publishers as computer Software Arkeia Software and MT Software.
3,000 employees of
BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas (; sometimes referred to as BNPP or BNP) is a French multinational universal bank and financial services holding company headquartered in Paris. It was founded in 2000 from the merger of two of France's foremost financial instituti ...
Securities Services were installed in the historic building
Grands Moulins de Pantin at the end of October 2009.
Hermès
Hermès International S.A. ( , ) is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, silk goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Since the ...
finished an expansion project in the city center.
The city has created a "craft center" to "4 Chemins" especially with the House Revel to promote arts jobs.
Pantin is home to a hub of non-profit environmental organization, housed since 2014 in the "cité de l'environnement", like
Bruitparif, the noise observatory of
ĂŽle-de-France
The ĂŽle-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 ...
that monitors the
environmental noise
Environmental noise is an accumulation of noise pollution that occurs outside. This noise can be caused by transport, industrial, and Sport, recreational activities.
Noise is frequently described as 'unwanted sound'. Within this context, envir ...
in the
Paris agglomeration.
Administration
Since the French canton reform which came into effect in March 2015, Pantin is part of the
canton of Pantin, which also includes the commune
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais
Le Pré-Saint-Gervais (; simply known by locals as Le Pré, i.e. "the meadow") is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. With a density of 25,643 inhabitants per square kilometres as of 2 ...
.
The current mayor of Pantin is Bertrand Kern of the
Parti Socialiste ''Parti Socialiste'' (Socialist Party) may refer to:
* Parti Socialiste (Belgium)
* Parti Socialiste (France)
* Parti Socialiste (Mauritius) (PS), see List of political parties in Mauritius
* Parti Socialiste Mauricien (PSM), see List of polit ...
(PS). Kern was re-elected in 2014 for a third 6-year mayoral term.
Transport
Pantin is served by three stations on
Paris Metro line 5
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 ...
:
Hoche,
Église de Pantin, and
Bobigny–Pantin–Raymond Queneau.
Pantin is also served by
Aubervilliers–Pantin–Quatre Chemins station on
Paris Metro line 7.
Pantin is also served by
Pantin
Pantin () is a Communes of France, commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, ĂŽle-de-France, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. In 2019 its population was estimated to be 59,846. Pantin is located on the edge of ...
station on Paris
RER line E.
Finally Pantin is served by numerous bus lines (151, 152, 249, 148). Outside the hours of normal public transport the town is served by the N13 and N142
Noctilien
Noctilien is the night bus service in Paris and its agglomeration. It is managed by the Île-de-France Mobilités (formerly the STIF), the Île-de-France regional public transit authority, and operated by RATP (with 32 lines) and Transilien S ...
night bus services with stops outside the Centre de la Danse, the Mairie and Rue Delizy.
Pantin is recently served by the
tramway 3b (Delphine Seyrig; Elle Fitzerald: Grands Moulins de Pantin).
Education
The commune has 11 preschools, 11 elementary schools (including one specialised school), four public junior high schools, one private junior high school, and three public senior high schools.
*Public junior high schools: Jean-Jaurès, Jean-Lolive, Joliot-Curie, and Lavoisier
*Private junior high school: Collège Prive Saint-Joseph-la-Salle
*Public senior high schools:
Lycée Lucie-Aubrac
In France, secondary education is in two stages:
* ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14.
* ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...
,
Lycée Simone-Weil, and
Lycée Marcelin-Berthelot
Personalities
*
Jean-François Joseph Geffrard de La Motte, count de Sanois
Jean-François Joseph Geffrard de La Motte, Comte de Sanois (1723–1799), was a French nobleman and army officer. In his later years his wife committed him unjustly to the Asylum of Charenton under a ''lettre de cachet'', an incident which becau ...
, was Lord of Pantin before the Revolution.
*
Beaumarchais
Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (; 24 January 1732 – 18 May 1799) was a French playwright and diplomat during the Age of Enlightenment. Best known for his three Figaro plays, at various times in his life he was also a watchmaker, invent ...
, writer, owned land in Pantin
*
La Guimard (1743–1816), danser of the Opera
*
Léon Jouhaux
Léon Jouhaux (1 July 1879 – 28 April 1954) was a French trade union leader who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1951.
Biography
Jouhaux was born in Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis, France. Jouhaux's father worked in a match factory in Aubervillie ...
(1879–1954), syndicalist and Nobel Peace
*
Jean-Marc Mormeck
Jean-Marc Gilbert Mormeck (born 3 June 1972) is a French former professional boxer who competed from 1995 to 2014. He is a two-time unified world cruiserweight champion, having held the WBA, WBC and ''The Ring'' world titles twice between 20 ...
(born in 1972), boxing champion
*
Faïza Guène
Faïza Guène (born 7 June 1985) is a French writer and director, best known for her two novels, ''Kiffe kiffe demain'' and ''Du rêve pour les oufs''. She has also directed several short films, including ''Rien que des mots'' (2004).
Biography
...
(born in 1985), novelist
Pantin was the birthplace of:
*
Jean-Luc Chaignaud (born in 1959), baritone
*
Pierre Desproges
Pierre Desproges (; 9 May 1939 – 18 April 1988) was a French humorist. He was born in Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis. According to himself, he made no significant achievements before the age of 30. From 1967 to 1970, he worked as: life insurance s ...
(1939–1988), humorist
*
Philippe Delorme
Philippe Delorme (born 22 January 1960 in Pantin, Seine-Saint-Denis) is a French historian and journalist, whose articles have appeared in ', ''Point de Vue Histoire'', and '' Valeurs actuelles'', among others.
Biography Youth
Philippe Delor ...
(born 1960), historian and journalist
*
Jérôme Guedj
Jérôme Guedj (born 23 January 1972) is a French politician. He is a member of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party and is the member of the Essonne's 6th constituency, sixth constituency of Essonne, List of presidents of departmental ...
(born 1972), politician
*
André Lagache
André Ernest Paul Lagache (21 January 1885 – 2 October 1938) was a French auto racing, racing driver who, along with René Léonard, won the inaugural 24 Hours of Le Mans in .
Career
Lagache and Léonard were engineers at automobile manufact ...
(1885–1938), racing driver
*
Gabriel Obertan (born 1989),
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
playing for
Levski (Sofia)
Culture
Pantin is twin cities with the
Modigliani Art Center in
Scandicci
Scandicci () is a ''comune'' (municipality) of c. 50,000 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southwest of Florence.
Scandicci borders the following municipalities: Campi Bisenzio, Floren ...
, a suburb of
Florence
Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025.
Florence ...
, Italy, which inaugurated their XXXIV Year Salon of Painting with the Pantin art association, Les Amis des Arts.
The Centre national de la danse (CND, or National Dance Center) is an institution sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture. It studies dance in all its aspects, and is located in Pantin. The building is known for being a classic example of Brutalist architecture, and in 2004 was awarded the Prix de l'Équerre d'Argent.
Religion
*
Catholic church
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
*
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
*
Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
*
Macedonian Orthodox church
The Macedonian Orthodox Church – Archdiocese of Ohrid (MOC-AO; ), or simply the Macedonian Orthodox Church (MOC) or the Archdiocese of Ohrid (AO), is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North Macedonia. The Macedonian Orthodox Church ...
*
Reformed church
Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyterian, ...
[Eglise Reformée de Pantin ]
See also
*
Cimetière parisien de Pantin
*
Communes of the Seine-Saint-Denis department
The following is a list of the 39 Communes of France, communes of the Seine-Saint-Denis Departments of France, department of France.
Since January 2016, all communes of Seine-Saint-Denis are part of the intercommunality Métropole du Grand Par ...
Bibliography
*
Jean-Pierre Thiollet
Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist. He is also affiliated with the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions, a European trade union.
Career
Thiollet attended a school in Châtelleraul ...
: "Pantin sans "e" ni tĂŞte", in ''Hallier, tout feu tout flamme'', Neva Editions, 2023, p. 65-68
Notes
References
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
Communes of Seine-Saint-Denis