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Pigalle
Stretching from the place de Clichy up to Monmartre, Pigalle is
a red light district with live peep shows, erotic videos, and sex
shops. The famous ‘Moulin Rouge’ is here and the Musee
de l'Eroticisme, which is actually quite interesting. Further along
on Boulevard de Rochechouart was the nightclub Le Chat-Noir, made
famous in the poster by Toulouse Lautrec.
Montmartre
Since Gallo-Roman times Montmartre was a small village covered
with vineyards at the top of the hill until the 19th century,
when it was absorbed by Paris, and became one of the strongholds
for intellectuals and artists. Nearby is the famous Place du Tertre,
the square surrounded by cafes where artists and intellectuals
would meet. Just before World War I many artists such as Picassso,
Modigliani, Utrillo and Apollinaire lived nearby, but it then
became rather expensive and a move was made by many artists to
Montparnasse. The Sacre-Coeur was completed in 1910 and was built
in remembrance of the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. It has a magnificent
view across Paris.
Montmartre Cemetery
A romantic place high up on the hill and is the burial place for many
noteworthy celebrities
from Nijinsky to Offenbach and Berliz to Degas.
Musee de Montmartre
12 rue Cortot is in a 17th century house with a pretty garden that
has been inhabited at various times by Renoir, Utrillo and Dufy.
It contains an interesting collection of mementos of Bohemian life
in the quarter with its nightclubs and artists, and two reconstructions,
one of an interior of a 19th century bistro and the other of composer
Charpentier' s studio. An interesting evening can be had at 'Au
Lapin Agile' which is still going strong and was frequented by such
as Verlaine, Renoir, and Modigliane. Picasso would walk over from
his first studio which was at 49, rue Gabrielle. The Moulin Rouge
is at the bottom of the hill of Montmartre and the white, wedding
cake church, the Sacre-Coeur is at the top.
Continued...
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