The sails of the red Moulin Rouge windmill, one of Paris’ most famous attractions, fell to the ground early Thursday morning, The Guardian reports.
Jean-Victor Clerico, the attraction’s general manager, said that shortly before 2 a.m. on Thursday, the windmill’s sails “just unravelled and fell onto the pavement.” Fortunately, there were no passersby on the boulevard at the time. Clerico told reporters:
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.
More than 600,000 people a year watch performances twice a day at the Moulin Rouge at the foot of Montmartre Hill. Even more people stand on the pavement outside to take selfies against a backdrop as emblematic of Paris as the Louvre or the Eiffel Tower.
Founded in 1889, the cabaret became a global symbol of Parisian nightlife in the late 19th century, and its famous kan dancers were depicted in paintings by artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec. The 2001 film of the same name, directed by Baz Luhrmann, cemented its appeal today.
The French can-can, performed by a group of dancers, was invented in the early 1920s by Pierre Sandrini, then artistic director of the Moulin Rouge, and consists of “vigorous manipulation of skirts and petticoats, high kicks, leaps on the spot and circular movements.”
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 sails was “a saddening one”.
Raphaël, a local resident, said it was “quite upsetting to see the windmill without its sails – 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. He said:
Paris without its windmill is like Paris without the Eiffel Tower.
Clerico said there was no evidence of foul play and the cause was “obviously a technical problem.” Paris police chief Laurent Nuñez confirmed that no one was injured and “security architects” had been sent to the scene.
The accident has heightened fears over whether Paris, one of the world’s most visited cities, is ready to host thousands more people who will arrive in July and August for the Olympics.
