The history of Montparnasse Mountain (which literally means “Montparnasse”) began in the 16th century, when students, expelled by the construction of a monastery from their favorite meeting and duel spot – Pré-aux-Clercs – moved here, naming the ancient stone quarries the mountain of the muses.
Starting from the era of the Great French Revolution, numerous cafes and cabarets began to emerge in this district. It is here that the polka dance was born, and from here the famous cancan conquered Paris.
Here is also the Paris Observatory, built in the 17th century. It was through it that the “prime meridian” passed, from which, until the 20th century, the French measured their lands. Near the observatory, Marshal Ney (Prince of Moscow) was executed, and his monument, according to Rodin, is the best in Paris.
Around 1900, artists, poets, and writers of the so-called “avant-garde” conquered Montparnasse. These places attracted with their provinciality, tranquility, and affordability (not far from here was the southern border of Paris, beyond which duty-free wine was sold, which is quite significant!).
To this day, one can stroll through the quiet streets where once lived, created, quarreled, and partied people who were soon perceived as demigods. Modigliani met Chaim Soutine here, who came from a remote Jewish settlement in Russia, Marc Chagall painted his “Vitebsk” under the Parisian sky, Moses Kisling probably staged one of the last duels in history with swords, and the genius Jules Pascin made swift sketches in the café Le Dôme.
In the old “Pavilion of Wine,” left over from the 1900 exhibition, sculptor Alfred Boucher created small studios in 1902, which he rented for a fantastically modest fee. It was here that future celebrities lived.
In the restaurant La Coupole, Louis Aragon first saw Elsa Triolet, and this “acquaintance” turned out to last his whole life. In his time, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Fyodor Stravinsky, Ernest Hemingway, Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, Sergei Eisenstein, and others frequented this place…
Every Tuesday at the Closerie des Lilas restaurant (“The Lilac Glade”), under the chairmanship of the “Prince of Poets” Paul Fort, noisy poetic evenings were held, gathering the entire literary and artistic elite of Paris. You can still come here today, have a cup of coffee, and read who sat at your table…
The equally famous “Rotonde” (La Rotonde) is well described in the memoirs of Ilya Ehrenburg. Although everything then looked more shabby and poorer. But if you sit on the bench, it’s easy to imagine Alexei Tolstoy passing by…
The equally famous “House” is today one of the most exquisite fish restaurants in Paris. You won’t find bouillabaisse (a fish soup characteristic of the Mediterranean coast of France – Voltaire’s favorite dish) like this anywhere else in the capital.
On one of the streets of Montparnasse, there is the “Istria” hotel, where Mayakovsky regularly stayed, and nearby is one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris, with studios for artists. Here, in one of its apartments, the descendants of Serov, Benois, and others still live…
Today, Montparnasse is a favorite evening leisure spot for Parisians. It is a realm of beautiful “Moorish” buildings, famous names, delicious aromas, exquisite outfits… Cafes, cinemas, night bars, discotheques – far past midnight, life is still in full swing here.
