Stupor in the Pigalle district at the foot of the Montmartre hill this morning: the blades of the most famous Parisian mill, the Moulin Rouge, collapsed, for reasons still unknown. No one was injured. “It is not the result of a malicious act”stated the management of the institution.
Published in: 25/04/2024 – 11:40
3 minutes
The propeller that rises on the top of the red mill is known all over the world and we could see them in several movies. In addition, she appears in at least one photo taken by the millions of tourists who come to visit the French capital.
It is the oldest Parisian cabaret, and now it has also lost the letters M, O and U so that at the present time, on the building, you can read LIN ROUGE, “in red”. No one was injured. There is no risk of the entire mill collapsing, stated the firefighters who intervened here.
One of the chefs working at the Moulin Rouge discovered the shovels on the ground when he arrived at work in the morning.
In fact, they fell after the place was closed, around 2 am. Cabaret management excludes any malicious act. This is a technical issueexplained Jean-Victor Clerico, the general manager of this nightclub, very well-known throughout the world.
On Thursday morning, a security perimeter was set up around this mill, without the road in front of it being blocked to road traffic.
It’s weird, it’s like cutting off the top of the Eiffel Tower, says, sadly, a passer-by looking towards the Moulin Rouge on his way to work. He hopes the propeller will be put back in place as soon as possible.
It is the first time that such an accident has occurred, since the existence of this cabaret, more precisely since October 6, 1889.
Director Jean-Victor Clerico assures, however, that the accident will have no consequence on the planned performances. Moulin Rouge remains open to its welcome the spectators, there is no schedule changeexplains Director Clerico.
The only serious accident that occurred in the world time of the cancan was a fire, during some works carried out in 1915. And following the fire, the building remained closed for 9 years.
This time, in March, the condition of the building was checked. And the blades were completely redone about 20 years ago. Basically, a lighter propeller was made from a mixture of wood, metal and aluminum.
Every evening, almost 1,800 people attend the French cancan performances and annually, about 600,000 spectators come here. Moulin Rouge has around 450 employees.
The famous institution will celebrate its 135th anniversary on October 6, 2024.
The capital city hall and the Ministry of Culture have announced that they want to help the cabaret to carry out the necessary repairs. Mayor Anne Hidalgo hopes to have the propeller back in place before the Olympics open on July 26.
