Sub-prefecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis, second city of the department with 91 000 inhabitants, Saint-Denis knew to reconcile the richness of its cultural past and its economic dash. With a strategic geographical situation (9 kms of Paris Our-injury), nearly 2 800 companies and 45 000 employment, the city constitutes an industrial and technical pole important in Island-of-France. From the art gothic with the famous basilica, to the contemporary art, many artists knew how to develop their creativity, such as: (Philippe Découflé, Nicolas Frize...)

You will discover unsuspected richness's there, The basilica necropolis of French kings, and the exceptional example of the beginning of the Gothic art, but also 400 other archeological sites.

The "Stade de France ®" , with 7 matches of the World cup of Football 1998, of which the match of inauguration and the final. The university which counts nearly 27 000 students divided between Paris VIII, the IUT, Paris XIII, the National School of Training, the National Academy of "Arts et Métiers" or the Institute of Training of the Restorers of Works of art.

Gardens and many varied parks. But also, an intense work programme to occupy your days and your evenings: since the festival of music or theatre until the Grand Prix Cycling.


The beginning of economic prosperity, with the Middle-Ages.

Located at the doors north of Paris, to 9 km of Our-injury, Saint-Denis thrived since the Middle-Ages, thanks to the prestige of the abbey: king Dagobert granted the privilege to him to hold of the fairs of which most famous was that of Lendit. To meet the needs for the pilgrims and the merchants, of roads connected Saint Denis to the rest of the country. The craftsmen developed bakeries, pottery, goldsmith's traders, leather and textile.

In 1704, the city become autonomous accepted its first municipal organization: it then knew a new economic advancement with the establishment of manufactures of leathers, wools, and dye-works.

The industrial rise of the 19th century.
The industrial development started with 19th century. What has completely changed the aspect and the economic function of Saint-Denis. The city became an industrial privileged area, thanks to its good service road by many means of transport the "La Seine Saint-Denis" channel (open in 1824) which supplies the raw material factories weighty, the railway (1843), and a tram since 1871. The other assets of Saint-Denis are the proximity of Paris (in 1860, fastening in Paris of La Chapelle, makes Saint-Denis a commune bordering on the capital), open space, the labour available which grows rich by a strong foreign immigration.

In 1993, the voters "dionysiens" choose a socialist mayor. He makes of their city a symbol of the left, leader of the (ceinture rouge) "red belt" communist because of the sharp social fights which ignite it. It is here that the newspaper Humanity (l'Humanité) chooses to establish its headquarters. With his communist mayor re-founder Patrick Braouezec, Saint-Denis wants to be an industrial and working town still today, in spite of the deindustrialisation which has characterized for 30 years all cities too close to the great agglomerations.


The assets of the city remain numerous: labour is young person and industrial. The proximity of Paris is reinforced by the modernization of transport (the airports of Le Bourget then of Roissy, the RER B and D, a subway line in 1976, the motorways A86 and A1 from now on covered, a new tram which connects since 1992 Saint-Denis and Bobigny.
From or to Paris, you can take a Metro either at the Saint Denis Basilique or Porte de Paris


Office du Tourisme de Saint-Denis
1, Rue de la République
93200 Saint-Denis
Tel: 01 55 87 08 70
Fax: 01 48 20 24 11