Saturday:
May 15
Two mills - Moulin Rouge and Moulin de la Galette - only one is a real windmill
I only know of these two (OK actually three as you will see) mills in Paris; perhaps there are more but I've never seen them. These two however, are famous if not a bit hard to find. Moulin Rouge is in the old Pigalle area, the red light district, however it is OK and safe to walk around there; just a little seedy compared to other parts of Paris. Moulin de la Galatte you need to look for. It is on the back way down from Place Tertre at the top of Montmarte, but if you're not looking for it, you might not see it. Now it is a restaurant so stop in for coffee.
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge (Red Mill) is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also
owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris red-light district of
Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the
red windmill on its roof.
The Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of
the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans
who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of
entertainment of its own and led to the introduction in cabarets across Europe.
Today the Moulin Rouge is a tourist destination, offering musical dance
entertainment for visitors from around the world. Much of the romance of
turn-of-the-century France is still present in the club's decor.
Notable performers at the Moulin Rouge have included Ella Fitzgerald, Liza
Minnelli, La Toya Jackson, Elton John, La Goulue, Josephine Baker, Frank
Sinatra, Yvette Guilbert, Jane Avril, Mistinguett, Le Pétomane, Édith Piaf and
others. The Moulin Rouge is also the subject of paintings by post-impressionist
painter Toulouse-Lautrec[1].
"Moulin Rouge" is the title of a book by Pierre La Mure, which was adapted as a
1952 film called Moulin Rouge, starring Jose Ferrer and Zsa-Zsa Gabor. Several
other films have had the same title, including 2001's Moulin Rouge!, starring
Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. Both the 1952 and 2001 films were nominated for
the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Can-can at the Moulin Rouge
The main feature of an evening at the Moulin Rouge is the performance. The venue
has become internationally famous as the home of the traditional French can-can,
which is still performed there today.
The can-can existed for many years as a respectable, working-class party dance,
but it was in the early days of the Moulin Rouge that courtesans first adapted
the dance to entertain the male clientele. The dance was usually performed
individually, with courtesans moving in an energetic and provocative way in an
attempt to seduce potential clients. It was common for them to lift their skirts
and reveal their legs, underwear and occasionally the genitals,and as time
progressed can-cans seen at the Moulin Rouge became increasingly vulgar and
overtly erotic, causing much public outrage.
Later however, with the rising popularity of music hall entertainment in Europe,
courtesans were no longer required at the Moulin Rouge and it became a
legitimate nightclub. The modern can-can was born as dancers (many of them
failed ballet dancers with exceptional skill) were introduced to entertain the
guests. The can-can that we recognise today comes directly from this period and,
as the vulgarity of the dance lessened, it became renowned for its athletic and
acrobatic tricks.
Click here to see other pictures.
The Moulin de la Galette is a windmill situated near the top of the district of
Montmartre
The Moulin de la Galette is made up of two mills: "Blute-fin" and "Radet". The
first mentioned name of the mill was "Palace windmill" in 1622. The Debray
family acquired the two mills in 1809 for producing flour. But it was also used
to pressurize the harvest or grind materials needed for manufacturing. The
Parisian people appreciated it as Sunday walking goal.
The windmill "Blute-fin" was built in 1622 and often repaired. The name comes
from the French verb "bluter" which means sifting flour for the separation from
bran.
At the end of the Napoleon empire, in 1814, during the siege of Paris one of the
Debray brothers strongly defended the windmill against Cossacks. They killed him
and nailed him to the wings of the windmill.
In 1870, the owner Charles-Nicolas Debray, added a guinguette with a dancing
room, and called it "Moulin de la Galette" in 1895. The "galette", is a small
rye bread that Debray millers made and sold with a glass of milk. Now, in
French, "galette" is the name of cake. In 1830, they replaced milk with wine
(especially the local Montmartre wine) and the windmill by a cabaret.
The atmosphere was relaxed and customers more popular than in other
establishments such as "Moulin Rouge". People came to "Moulin de la Galette" for
enjoying and dancing. In "Moulin Rouge", with a windmill-like building in a
low-altitude place without wind, people came to see a show with professional
dancers.
Then the place was used as music-hall, radio and television studios. It was
closed in 1974, at the end of the ORTF (French public TV). It is now a private
property.
The windmill "Radet" was built in 1717. In the 19th century, it was transformed
into a guinguette on Sundays and public holidays. An association "Friends of Old
Montmartre" saved it from destruction in 1915. In 1924, its owner moved the
windmill to the corner of Girardon and Lepic streets. It was restored in 1978,
but is not running.
The Moulin de la Galette is now a restaurant.
Click here to see other pictures.
Click here to see other pictures.