Photo : Christophe Meneboeuf / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Montmartre
Montmartre is a hill in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, dominated by the Sacré-Cœur basilica. At about 130 metres' altitude, it is the highest point in the capital. A royal abbey was founded there by Louis VI in 1133-1134. The locality was an independent commune from 1790 to 1860, when it was attached to Paris, and the insurrection of the Commune began there in 1871.
In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the district attracted many artists. The Bateau-Lavoir and the Place du Tertre are emblematic places, frequented by painters such as Picasso, Van Gogh and Modigliani. Many later moved to Montparnasse, but the Place du Tertre keeps its artists' bustle. You can also see the church of Saint-Pierre, the oldest in Paris, the Montmartre vineyard, the cemetery and the Moulin Rouge, opened in 1889.
The district is characterised by its sloping streets, its long staircases and a partly preserved Belle Époque architecture.
