Paris' famous Moulin Rouge cabaret club damaged: What happened?

Paris awoke to find an unwelcome change in its iconic Moulin Rouge club.

The blades of the red windmill of the famed cabaret club which opened in 1889 collapsed overnight. The first three letters of the sign also fell off.

Thankfully, no one was injured.

Paris firefighters said there is no risk of further collapse and the reason for the accident remains undetermined.

“Fortunately this happened after closing,” a Moulin Rouge official said on condition of anonymity.

“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.

“It’s the first time that an accident like this has happened since” the cabaret first opened its doors.

Let’s take a look at the history of the famous club and its impact on pop culture

The Moulin Rouge, which translates to Red Mill, opened its doors to the public on 6 October, 1889, at the foot of the Montmartre hill.

The club, located in northern Paris, was founded by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler.

Oller and Zidler nicknamed their establishment the Le Premier Palais des Femmes (the first Women Palace).

As per Time Magazine, it is thought to be the place where the can-can dance originated.

The BBC quoted the Oxford Companion to Music as describing the dance as “a boisterous and latterly indecorous dance, exploited in Paris for the benefit of such British and American tourists as will pay well to be shocked".

Dancers at the Moulin Rouge widely depicted in paintings by avant-garde artists of the era such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Georges Seurat.

Toulouse-Lautrec, who frequented the club himself, brought fame to the spot at a time known as La Belle Époque – the period from the late 19th Century to World War I.

The club quickly became a hit and a global symbol of end-of-the-century Parisian culture.

According to the club website, Elvis Presley would often visit the club during his trips to Paris.

He is said to have had a crush on a French Cancan dancer.

Songstress Edith Piaf would first begin to find fame performing at the Moulin Rouge.

The Moulin Rouge gained new and worldwide fame after director Baz Luhrmann in 2001 released a film of the same name which starred Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.

A cover version of the song Lady Marmalade by Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil’ Kim, Mya and Missy Elliott which also mentioned the Moulin Rouge also topped the charts.

The only serious accident the landmark has endured was a fire that erupted during works in 1915, which forced the venue to close for nine years.

BBC quoted Moulin Rouge cabaret director Jean-Victor Clerico as saying there is no sign of “foul play” and that there was “obviously a technical problem”.

Still one of the most visited landmarks in the city, the Moulin Rouge is set to celebrate its 135th anniversary in October.

‘Like Paris without its Eiffel Tower’

Nowadays, the audience is largely made up of tourist groups.

A stop to look at its facade or catch a show inside is a must-do on most tourists’ lists of things to do in the French capital.

As per BBC, some of the dancers still perform topless.

While the club website says it is family friendly, it also says some shows have nudity.

“Paris without its windmill is like Paris without its Eiffel Tower,” André Duval, a former head waiter at the Moulin Rouge told Le Parisien.

“I’m waiting to see the reaction of the thousands of tourists who come every day to see it. Not one person comes to visit Paris without coming to take a photo of it.”

“I hope they will build it up again so it will be as it always has been, the old Moulin Rouge,” Danish tourist Lise Thygesen said.

German tourist Florence Chevalier said: “It’s weird to me, (the Moulin Rouge), it’s Paris. It’s like the Eiffel Tower, it’s Paris. It’s weird, you can’t say it any other way.”

And it wasn’t just tourists that came to see what happened.

“I heard it on the radio. As I live next door, I wanted to come and see with my own eyes what it was like and it’s very sad,” local resident Laurence Plu said.

“It’s not the Moulin anymore, it lost its wings, it lost its soul.”

The accident will add to concerns of whether Paris, one of the most visited cities in the world, is ready to host the thousands more that will descent during July-August for the Olympic Games.

With inputs from agencies