Montmartre

Home of the Sacre-Coeur

Description

At the end of the 19th century, Montmartre was the center of artistic life in Paris, as well as a model of uninhibited bohemian lifestyle. Many artists, including Berlioz and Picasso, lived, worked, and played in this thriving hillside community. Creative spirits such as these, or perhaps the lifestyle they enjoyed, turned Montmartre into a mecca for writers, poets, and artists alike. Many came to share talents, while others came to sample the area's bordellos, cabarets, revues and other exotica--a phenomenon that ultimately created an off-color reputation of Montmartre among Paris' more "upstanding" citizens. The nightlife is still available in Montmartre, but since the dispersal of many of its writers and artists, it lacks a bit of the original charm. Nevertheless, some say Montmartre is inseparable from its art. The hill still retains a lively atmosphere, and many of the physical charms that have continually drawn the wide variety of crowds still remain. There are many museums, cabarets, and squares worth visiting in this quarter, and of course Montmartre would not be what it is today without the Sacré-Coeur. Undoubtedly one of the most magnificent churches in Paris, and arguably the world, the Sacré-Coeur, and the panoramic view of Paris from its steps, will leave the common tourist breathless. Montmartre is Paris, and Paris would not be the same without it.