Moulin Rouge
The picture above captures one of Paris’s most famous venues, the Moulin Rouge. French for “Red Mill,” this club offered lively entertainment to the local Frenchmen and visitors from all over the world.
Moulin Rouge was started in 1889 by two men named Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller. The pair saw all of the tasteful yet somber art that was coming out of Paris at the time and decided that the city could be even greater if they had some performances that were a bit more fun and lively. Thus, they purchased a piece of land and began construction on the club’s iconic design. Once opened, it became an immediate success with people of all classes who wanted to spend an evening sipping champagne and enjoying entertainment of all sorts. From comedy to dances, the Rouge’s reputation was immensely bolstered by its wide variety in acts.
One of its greatest contributions to the world of music is the can-can. This vivacious dancing style to fast music was introduced to the world at the club and has since become a staple of French dance. The Prince of Wales at the time would even stop by for an evening because of how quickly its reputation spread throughout the world. The original house even went so far as to have an elephant in its front yard to top off its decadence. Unfortunately, the Rouge would burn down in the year 1915. However, the city of Paris has kept open a spiritual successor to the Moulin Rouge to this very day, still delighting audiences with some optimistic and energetic performances that made the name famous.
Writer / Quiz Creator
Andrew Nicholas is a passionate reader and writer on the subjects of history and mankind. He is a published author, critic, and poet who grew up in the friendly scenery of rural Ohio. He is a graduate of Wright State University and a regular student of historical curiosities.