Those who saw the movie Amelie may recognize the quaint, quirky character of this bohemian part of town, which carries an interesting historical mix of spirituality and fun-filled decadence.
Montmartre is an official historic area, which strives to preserve its charm and history. As a result, some modern development had been intentionally limited. You can catch the Montmartre Bus here, and the RATP's Funiculaire de Montmartre is another option for visiting.
Located on the Right Bank, north of central Paris, the most recognizable feature of the Montmartre is probably the white-domed Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Sacré Cœur), located at the summit of this little mountain. The Basilica of the Sacré Cœur is still one of the Montmartre’s most treasured and most-visited icons. Erected on Montmartre between 1876 to 1912, it remains a psychic center of artistic activity, where artists still work at their easels amidst the shade of Place du Tertre's umbrellas.
The Saint Pierre de Montmartre church is also here. According to some histories the Saint Pierre church is the location at which the order of Jesuit priests was founded.
The Montmartre is named after martyr Saint Denis, the Bishop of Paris who was decapitated on the hill around 250 AD. As Saint Denis is the patron saint of France, the symbolism is particularly poignant and culturally significant. The Montmartre may have also been a druidic holy place due to its vantage point as the highest point in the area, giving it yet another layer of mysterious spiritual history. Apartment rentals in Paris is the best way to soak it all in.
It was at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century that the hill also became a center of decadent entertainment. This may have been due to the fact that wine-making was popular among the local inhabitants, and that liquor was free of Paris taxation, being outside of Paris city limits. It is also true that when the Parisian city planner Baron Haussmann and Napoleon III planned to make Paris the most beautiful city in Europe, large areas of land near the center of the city were given to Haussmann's financial backers and friends, which drove many of Paris’ original inhabitants to outlying districts such as La Villette, and to the Montmartre, which featured a view of the city.
It was in the Montmartre's bohemian transformation in which the popular Moulin Rouge cabaret came of fame, as well as at Le Chat Noir (literally "Black Cat”), where many famous performers regularly appeared, such as Yvette Guilbert, Jane Avril, La Goulue, Mistinguett, Damia, Aristide Bruant, Georges Guibourg, Marcelle Lender, Fréhel among many others. A long term apartment rentals in Paris lets you see these sights to your heart's content.
In modern times, the Montmartre is quite possibly best known as a mecca of artistic expression, with a history unrivaled worldwide. The list of artists who resided here at one time or another reads like a "Who's Who" of contemporary art. Artists Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso worked here, as did Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet. And these are but a few.
Théophile Steinlen's famous advertisement for the Le Chat Noir cabaret was created here. Your Paris apartments Montmartre Paris will take you within walking distance of clubs that still exhibit the same authentic charm. Artists like Johan Jongkind and Camille Pissarro came to inhabit Montmartre in the mid-19th century. By the end of the era, Montmartre and Montparnasse (its bohemian equivalent on the Left Bank), became the major artistic capitals of Paris. Between 1904–1909, Amedeo Modigliani, Picasso, and other struggling artists lived and worked in a commune here, in a building called the "Laundry Boat" (Le Bateau-Lavoir).
Multiple similar collectives sprang up, such as Les Nabis (which included Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Suzanne Valadon, Maurice Utrillo, Alfred Jarry, Pierre Brissaud, Gen Paul, Jacques Villon, André Derain, Théophile Steinlen). Find your apartment rentals in Paris and see through their eyes. African-American "expatriates" such as Langston Hughes also worked in Montmartre, which became a muse for some of his work.
Many renowned artists and composers are buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre and the Cimetière Saint-Vincent.
Which brings us to music! Some of the world's most famous music also drew breath here. Singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour's most renowned work, In La Bohème, is about a painter remembering his youth spent in a Montmartre that has faded away. And composers like Satie (who at one time was a pianist at Le Chat Noir) also lived and worked here.
For museums, see Espace Dalí, which showcases some of Salvador Dalí's surrealist works. And be especially sure to see the Musée de Montmartre, where painter Maurice Utrillo once lived and worked.
We encourage you to take your time and enjoy your search. You may wish to begin simply by browsing by arrondissement:
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