Housed in one of the finest houses in the “Butte”, Montmartre Museum offers you delve into this uncommon Parisian district. With an incomparable success (or even a myth), Montmartre actually enjoys an international reputation that has few equals in the world. As it is obviously not a coincidence, the museum’s goal is to explain to visitors how Montmartre became over time what it is today.
Visiting this museum is also an opportunity to discover the superb Rosimond town house which is the oldest house of Butte. When you arrive to the gardens, you will be captivated by the charm of the place. The setting is secluded and lush, and invites you to a pleasant stroll before visiting the house to see its collections. Also note that you can access nearly to the Vineyard of Montmartre by going down the garden.
Besides, Rosimond house also benefits from a story closely linked to the artists of Montmartre as it became in the 19th century a workshop in which had stayed big names such as Renoir, Dufy, Utrillo and others. This is also in these places Auguste Renoir painted several major works including « le Bal du Moulin de la Galette », « la Balançoire » ou la « Danse à la ville ».
Inside the building, the museum offers a themed route on several floors. We can discover all facets of Montmartre, from the farming village on the outskirts of Paris to the present-day tourist area. We understand for example that the fame of Montmartre was first built thanks to a privileged geographic location. Besides the charm of this highest point in Paris (130 m), the products of Montmartre, before its annexation in 1860, was exempted from the prohibitive taxes of Paris… It is through these attractive rates as Montmartre gradually became a particular place to party, and then came to settle many artists !
But Montmartre is also known as a small village with incomparable charm which was one of the first neighborhoods of Paris whose the architecture was protected et regulated by the government (late 19th century). This is also with « la Butte aux Cailles » (the other mound of Paris) the epicenter of the Parisian insurrection during the “Commune de Paris“(civil war from March to May 1871).
You’ve got it : Montmartre is a huge story which is rich and complex that this nice museum explains pretty well and will enable you to better understand Montmartre, and to better visit it.
