This Quarter is an ancient village which was annexed to Paris in 1860. Montmartre is in the 18th Arrondissement (or "District") to the North of the capital, on a 130m tall hill, called the “Butte Montmartre”.
Majestically, at the top of a 237 step climb, sits the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, which, alongside the Eiffel Tower, is the monument that reaches the highest into the Parisian sky. One of the most beautiful panoramic views of the French capital can be seen from its doorstep. On a clear day, an onlooker can see all around for 30 miles.
Barely a stone’s throw away from the Basilica is the Place du Tertre, a lively square filled with painters and artists, surrounded by quaint little streets and alleys and just around the corner the Espace Dalí can be found, a permanent exhibition dedicated its surrealist painter namesake. The beginning of the 20th Century saw the Montmartre became one of the most central artistic areas of Paris, a place that Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Van Gogh and Modigliani all used to call home.
The Montmartre Butte is also a popular destination for connoisseurs of theatre and cabaret, as it is where the legendary “Chat Noire” and “Lapin Agile” can be found. The famous French singers Édith Piaf and George Brassens both began their musical careers in these artistic streets. A stroll down the Rue Lepic will reveal unto the eyes the wings of the Moulin de la Galette, a former popular cabaret location (Known as the “Guinguette”). Immortalised by French Impressionist painter Renoir, it is the only windmill in Montmartre that is still in working condition.
Another well-known windmill, found at the foot of the Montmartre hill, can be found atop the world famous Moulin Rouge of the Pigalle Quartier, a French landmark much visited for its shows, bars and night-clubs.
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