The earliest risers of Paris were surprised to discover this Thursday, at dawn, the Moulin Rouge without its famous wings. The metal structure of the Parisian cabaret on Boulevard de Clichy, in the 18th arrondissement, collapsed during the night, around 1:45 a.m., while “the spectators of the second show had all already left”, according to a press release from the establishment. The first three letters of the sign, “MOU”, located on the facade, were also swept away in this fall of around ten meters.
Fortunately, the incident caused no injuries, said the firefighters, who only mobilized a handful of responders on site and left the scene this Thursday morning. According to them, the building is not in danger of collapse and the area is safe. To AFP, management ruled out the possibility of a “malicious act”.
“Disturbing to see him without his wings”
On a video taken during the night, we see the four wings of the mill, still connected together, twisted and spread out on the sidewalk and the street. The structure was then brought back against the facade of the building, placed under green tarpaulins and surrounded by safety barriers. The blades were then cleared.
The causes of this incident are not yet known, according to the firefighters and the City of Paris. Kevin Havet, security deputy at the 18th century, specifies that a security perimeter has been established and that municipal police officers are on site. The capital’s police chief, Laurent Nuñez, for his part indicated on TF1 that “security architects from the police headquarters” also went to the establishment, without further details immediately.
The City in support
“The Moulin Rouge is an element of our cultural heritage, a building famous throughout the world and especially in the hearts of Parisians,” reacted this Thursday morning the mayor (PS) of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who “ saw with great pain what happened.” The municipal teams “are already in contact to offer technical assistance”, indicates the elected official, who promises to “provide all the necessary assistance” to this establishment – private – to “ensure that the wings return as quickly as possible possible. »
The mayor (PS) of the 18th arrondissement, Éric Lejoindre, was also moved by the situation. “It’s quite striking to see that the Moulin triggers such strong reactions throughout the world and it’s beautiful to see the outpouring of support from Parisians and particularly from the inhabitants of the 17th century. In a few months, we will look at this episode as one of the moments in the life of this historic place which will always continue to light up Parisian nights,” puts the city councilor into perspective.
The City supports the Clérico family, owners of the Moulin Rouge. “With Éric Lejoindre, we are alongside their teams to help them so that the wings of the Moulin can turn again,” declared Anne Hidalgo on Instagram.
For Frédéric Hocquard, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of tourism and nightlife, “more fear than harm”. “Zero risk does not exist unfortunately, but we can say that our luck is that the La Machine club, right next to the mill, was not open that evening,” underlines the elected official. According to his information, the accident should not hamper the proper functioning of the place, which should reopen its doors this evening.
Rachida Dati committed “for the shine” of the Moulin
The Minister of Culture and Mayor of the 7th arrondissement, Rachida Dati, also expressed her support for the structure, ensuring that the rehabilitation of this emblematic place and more generally of heritage was one of her priorities. “The protection and restoration of our heritage is one of my priorities, the Ministry of Culture stands alongside the Moulin Rouge, so that its special splendor is restored,” she declared.
The fall of the metal structure in any case intrigues the residents of the neighborhood, who came this morning to the foot of the mill which now finds itself naked. Everyone gathered on the sidewalk to take photos as the wings were raised, which were stored in a dumpster. “It’s quite disturbing to see him without his wings, it’s still a symbol in Pigalle and even throughout Paris. But the main thing is that there were no injuries,” comments Raphaël, a local resident.
Vice-president of the Lepic Abbesses traders’ association, Stéphane Cachelin first “believed in fake news”: “It is a symbol of Montmartre, of Paris and of the world which has just collapsed, he believes. -he. You might laugh about it because it’s just hardware and the wings are made for flying, but it’s extremely shocking. We avoided the worst. I know that the Clérico family (who runs the establishment, Editor’s note) will do everything to repair them as quickly as possible.
“Paris without its mill is like Paris without its Eiffel Tower,” reacts André Duval, head waiter at the Moulin in the 1980s and resident of the neighborhood for 50 years. “I’m waiting to see the reaction of the thousands of tourists who come every day to see it. Not one person comes to visit Paris without coming to take a photo of it.” On the causes of this accident, André is perplexed: “It’s still very strange, there was no storm last night, I hope that we will quickly find out what happened and that cameras were able to capture the scene.
The mechanism checked “once a week”
Fanny Rabasse, press manager of the Moulin Rouge, tells Le Parisien “that she has no explanation for what happened at the moment”. “The wings are very well maintained, in addition to an external organization which comes to carry out checks every two months, our technical teams come once a week to look at their structure and the mechanism,” she assures. The show given that evening at the cabaret had ended before the wings fell, and “logically, there was no one left inside, apart from security,” she adds.
Speaking to AFP, the general manager of the cabaret ruled out the possibility of a “malicious act”. “On the site itself, we have 24-hour surveillance, particularly on the roofs, with human presence,” explains Jean-Victor Clerico, believing that “this is obviously a technical problem.”
“The wings are regularly maintained: we have visits every two months by an external organization, and our technical teams check them every week. We are a little stunned,” he also explains on TF1. “It appears that the wings were not rotating at that time. The establishment was closed, there was no more public” and luckily, “there weren’t many people on the sidewalk”, he also specifies.
The blades of the Moulin Rouge had never come loose until now, also underlines the owner of the place, promising to “quickly clarify the situation”. The building was “not damaged at all”, which will allow the room to reopen this Thursday evening. “It will be a special evening, but the show goes on, that will be the most important thing,” he comments.
The historic cabaret, inaugurated in 1889, underwent major work during the health crisis. After 17 months of closure, it reopened its doors in September 2021. In its entire history, it had until then experienced only one serious accident: a fire due to work in 1915, leading to a nine-year closure. , the establishment told AFP.
The establishment is due to celebrate its 135th anniversary on October 6. Open every day, it welcomes 600,000 spectators per year, with two performances each evening.
