This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . The next check for changes will be

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/25/moulin-rouge-windmill-blades-collapse-in-paris

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Moulin Rouge windmill blades collapse in Paris Moulin Rouge windmill blades collapse in Paris
(about 5 hours later)
Blades of famous cabaret venue fall from roof overnight Blades of famous cabaret venue, home of the French can-can, fall from roof overnight
The blades of the Moulin Rouge windmill, one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, have collapsed, firefighters have said, just months before the French capital hosts the Olympics. The home of the high-spirited French can-can has been laid temporarily low after the sails of the red-painted windmill on top of the Moulin Rouge, the most celebrated cabaret in Paris, tumbled inexplicably to the ground in the early hours.
There was no risk of further collapse, Paris firefighters said after the incident overnight. “In 135 years of history the Moulin Rouge has experienced many adventures, but it is true that as far as the sails are concerned, this is the first time it’s happened,” the attraction’s general manager, Jean-Victor Clerico, told reporters.
“Fortunately this happened after closing,” a Moulin Rouge official told Agence France-Presse on condition of anonymity. Clerico said that shortly before 2am on Thursday, the sails of the windmill “simply gave way, and fell on the pavement. Fortunately at the time the boulevard was empty of passersby. We are especially relieved this morning to know there were no injuries.”
“Every week, the cabaret’s technical teams check the windmill mechanism and did not note any problems,” the source said, adding that there was no more information on the reason for the collapse. More than 600,000 people a year watch the twice-daily shows at the Moulin Rouge at the foot of the Montmartre hill, with more standing on the pavement outside to take selfies in front of a landmark as emblematic of Paris as the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower.
They said it was the first time such an accident had happened since the cabaret first opened on 6 October 1889. Founded in 1889, the cabaret became a global symbol of fin-de-siècle Parisian nightlife, its famed can-can dancers depicted in paintings by artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec. An eponymous 2001 film by Baz Luhrmann cemented its present-day appeal.
The French can-can is believed to have evolved from the final figure of a dance for couples known as the quadrille. It caused considerable scandal when it first became popular as a cabaret act mainly because of its intentionally revealing high kicks.
Performed by a line of female dancers, the French can-can – devised in the early 1920s by Pierre Sandrini, then the artistic director of the Moulin Rouge – revolves around “vigorous manipulation of skirts and petticoats, high kicks, jump splits and cartwheels”.
Moulin Rouge: les ailes tombées cette nuit sont en train d'être évacuées pic.twitter.com/LUeU5hOgK0Moulin Rouge: les ailes tombées cette nuit sont en train d'être évacuées pic.twitter.com/LUeU5hOgK0
Images on social media showed the blade unit lying on the street below, with some of the blades slightly bent. While it was recently closed for 18 months for renovation during the pandemic, the cabaret’s only serious previous accident was a fire that erupted during building works in 1915 that forced it to shut its doors for nine years.
The Moulin Rouge, at the foot of the Montmartre hill in northern Paris, is one of the most visited landmarks in the city and is known as the birthplace of the can-can dance. Officials, Parisians and tourists alike were shocked by the incident. “The Moulin Rouge is part of our cultural heritage, a building famous throughout the world and above all in the hearts of the people of Paris,” said the capital’s mayor, Anne Hidalgo, adding that the sight of the fallen wings was “a saddening one”.
The only serious accident at the venue was a fire during works in 1915, which forced it to close for nine years. Raphaël, a local resident, told Le Parisien it was “quite upsetting to see the windmill without its wings – it’s a symbol of Pigalle and of all Paris”. André Duval, the front-of-house manager in the 1980s and a neighbour for 50 years, was equally shocked.
“Paris without its windmill is like Paris without the Eiffel Tower,” he said.
Clerico said there was no evidence of foul play and the cause was “obviously a technical problem”. The Paris police chief, Laurent Nuñez, confirmed that no one had been hurt, “safety architects” had been dispatched to the scene, and there was no risk of further collapse.
A source at the cabaret, among the most visited landmarks in one of the world’s most visited cities, told French media the windmill’s mechanism was checked weekly and that no problems had been recorded during the last inspection.
.