Paris | The famous Moulin Rouge loses its wings, but remains open

(Paris) Shock on the Montmartre hill in Paris: the famous cabaret Le Moulin Rouge has lost its wings, having fallen at night for a reason still unknown and without causing any injuries, but will be open from Thursday evening to welcome its spectators.

“Le Moulin is 135 years old, so it has seen some tough times,” Jean-Victor Clerico, general manager of the dean of Parisian cabarets, told the press. “We will take up the challenge.”

The wings of this legendary place, known throughout the world and immortalized in particular by the eponymous film by Baz Luhrmann, came down around 1:45 a.m., about half an hour after the departure of the last spectators. The letters M, O and U, located on the facade, have also fallen.

No injuries have been reported and there is no risk of collapse, according to the Paris firefighters.

This is the first time in its long history that the cabaret has lost its wings, which had begun to spin on October 6, 1889, the evening of the venue’s inauguration.

“It’s incredible,” Exaucé, a cook at the Moulin Rouge, who discovered the blades on the ground when arriving around 8 a.m., told AFP.

The reasons for this fall are currently unknown, but management claims to be able to rule out any “malicious act”.

“On the site itself, we have 24-hour surveillance, particularly on the roofs, with human presence. We already know that this is not a malicious act, it is obviously a technical problem,” clarified Jean-Victor Clerico, affirming that the incident would have “no consequences” on the programming.

“The Moulin Rouge will be open this evening to welcome our spectators,” he certified.

Thursday morning, barriers had been put in place around the entrance to the establishment, but the street was not blocked and a dump truck removed the blades, noted an AFP journalist. The clearing operation ended around 8:35 a.m.

Security architects from the police headquarters went to the site, said the capital’s police prefect Laurent Nuñez on TF1.

“It’s funny. It’s like cutting the head off the Eiffel Tower. It hurts me,” Daniel, 58, reacted to AFP.

The Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, spoke, on “a lot of pain”, referring to a place “famous throughout the world”.

Both the town hall and the ministry have indicated that they are ready to help the cabaret with repairs, M^me Hidalgo saying “hope” that the wings would be restored before the Olympics (July 26-August 11).

“We are doing everything we can to ensure that our emblematic Moulin finds its wings as quickly as possible,” the cabaret said in a press release sent to AFP.

Temple of Cancan

The only serious accident that occurred in the world cancan temple was a fire due to work in 1915. The cabaret had to close for nine years.

A mixture of wood, metal and aluminum, the wings had been refurbished about twenty years ago to “lighten” them, explained Mr. Clerico, and their structure and motorization “are checked every two months by a specialized company,” according to the cabaret.

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The last maintenance visit was on March 20.

The famous establishment, which will celebrate its 135th anniversary on October 6, is located at the foot of the Montmartre hill and in the heart of the Pigalle district.

Synonymous with crazy Parisian nights with the Lido and cancan dancers, it attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world every day who take photos in front of its facade.

Its “trademark”, the French cancan, made this institution famous.

Immortalized by the painter Toulouse-Lautrec, the Moulin Rouge welcomes 600,000 spectators per year, with two performances each evening, 365 days per year, and employs some 450 people.