Since the mid-1970s, the term zone has often been associated with the post-war housing estates on the outskirts of large French cities. However, it once referred to a more circumscribed space: the zone non aedificandi (non-building zone) which encircled Paris (1840–1940). This unusual territory came to occupy a central place in Parisian culture. By analysing a wider range of sources from the duration of the zone’s existence, this study offers a nuanced account of how the area was perceived by successive generations of Parisian novelists, poets, songwriters, artists, photographers, film-makers, politicians and town-planners.