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Ménilmontant () is a
neighbourhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...
of
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, situated in the city's 20th arrondissement. It is roughly defined as the area north of the
Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...
, south of Parc de Belleville, and between ''Avenue Jean-Aicard'' on the west and ''Rue Pelleport'' on the east. The neighborhood includes an 87 m (285.4 ft) high hill, making it the third-highest neighborhood in Paris (after
Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...
and neighboring Belleville). Throughout much of the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, what is now known as Ménilmontant was a rural hilltop hamlet within the independent commune (municipality) of Belleville, where wealthy Parisians vacationed. By the 19th century, as a result of the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
and
urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...
, Ménilmontant quickly grew to include a large immigrant and working-class population, and in 1860, it was, like other suburbs surrounding the French capital, annexed into the city of Paris. By the mid-late 20th century, many artists, musicians, students, and
hippies A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, counterculture of the mid-1960s to early 1970s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States and spread to dif ...
began to move into the area, giving the neighborhood a distinctively
bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...
,
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
and
counterculture A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Ho ...
identity. Today, old factory buildings have been repurposed to house hip live music venues such as '' :fr:La Bellevilloise'' and '' :fr:La Maroquinerie'', while grungy bars along hilly '' :fr:Rue de Ménilmontant'' lead to warrens of narrow, cobblestone streets and artists’ studios. The neighborhood is served by metro, with line 2 stations at Ménilmontant, Couronnes, and Père Lachaise, and line 3 stations at Père Lachaise, and Gambetta.


Etymology

The name Ménilmontant is said to derive from ''Mesnil Mautemps'', meaning "bad weather house" in medieval French. By the 16th century ''mautemps'' had been corrupted into ''montant'' (meaning "climbing"), most likely owing to its situation on a hill overlooking Paris. Thus, Ménilmontant can perhaps be best interpreted as meaning "climbing house".


History

Before its 1860 absorption into Paris, Ménilmontant lay beyond the capital's tax border ''(
octroi Octroi (; , to grant, authorize; Lat. ''auctor'') is a local tax collected on various articles brought into a district for consumption. Antiquity The word itself is of French origin. Octroi taxes have a respectable antiquity, being known in R ...
)''. As a result, wine was substantially cheaper in Ménilmontant, leading to Parisians flocking to the area at night, and the development of numerous drinking establishments, known as ''guinguettes'', in the 18th century. In 1832, Ménilmontant, already urbanized and heavily working-class, served as the location of a
Saint-Simonian Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon (; ; 17 October 1760 – 19 May 1825), better known as Henri de Saint-Simon (), was a French political, economic and socialist theorist and businessman whose thought had a substantial influence on po ...
retreat, established by
socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...
political theorist Barthélemy-Prosper Enfantin and his followers, before being banned by the authorities for "sponsoring an illicit secret society and encouraging practices contrary to public morality." Ménilmontant also played a pivotal role in the
Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...
, as the area was a hotbed for working-class radicalism. When the Versailles Army came to reconquer Paris in May of 1871, it faced some of the toughest resistance in Ménilmontant. Bloody street fighting persisted in Ménilmontant, ultimately coming to an end during the
semaine sanglante The ''Semaine sanglante'' ("") was a weeklong battle in Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871, during which the French Army recaptured the city from the Paris Commune. This was the final battle of the Paris Commune. Following the Treaty of Frankfurt ...
("bloody week") in Père Lachaise. Today, references to the Paris Commune remain part of the very fabric of the Ménilmontant, from street art and right down to the local football club, Ménilmontant FC 1871 - whose name and crest are heavily loaded with socialist and communard symbolism.


In popular culture


Literature

* Menilmontant is the scene of the first part of Russian-born Andreï Makine's novel '' The Life of an Unknown Man''. *The
Prix Goncourt The Prix Goncourt ( , "The Goncourt Prize") is a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year". The prize carries a symbolic reward of only 10 euros, but resul ...
winning novel '' La Maternelle'' (1904) takes place in Ménilmontant. Albert Schinz
"Acadamie Goncourt and its Laureate Leon Frapie"
in '' The Bookman'', Vol. 21, p. 290. Dodd, Mead and Co., 1905.
*The Ménilmontant neighborhood is mentioned prominently in
Henry Miller Henry Valentine Miller (December 26, 1891 – June 7, 1980) was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist. He broke with existing literary forms and developed a new type of semi-autobiographical novel that blended character study, so ...
's 1956 novel '' Quiet Days in Clichy'' as well as in the 1969 film adaptation of that novel by Jens Jørgen Thorsen.


Singing

*Film star and singer
Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor, and entertainer. He is best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank Heaven f ...
was born in Ménilmontant. *''Ménilmontant'' is a song by the French singer
Charles Trenet Louis Charles Augustin Georges Trenet (; 18 May 1913 – 19 February 2001) was a renowned French singer-songwriter who composed both the music and the lyrics for nearly 1,000 songs over a career that lasted more than 60 years. These songs inclu ...
. An instrumental version was recorded by
Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani people, Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Belgium, Belgian-born Romani jazz guitarist and composer in France. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe ...
in 1949/50. *"Rue de Ménilmontant" is a song by the French singer Camille Dalmais.


Cinema

* '' Ménilmontant'' (
1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...
), written and directed by
Dimitri Kirsanoff Dimitri Kirsanoff (, né Markus David Sussmanovitch Kaplan, Маркус Давид Зусманович Каплан; 6 March 1899 – 11 February 1957) was a Russian-French early film-maker working in France, sometimes considered part of the F ...
, takes its name from Ménilmontant. * '' Les Enfants du Paradis'' (1945), the character Garance hails from Ménilmontant. * '' Casque d'or'' (
1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Cairo Fire, Black Saturday in Kingdom of Egypt, Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, ...
), starring
Simone Signoret Simone Signoret (; born Simone Henriette Charlotte Kaminker; 25 March 1921 – 30 September 1985) was a French actress. She received various accolades, including an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, a César Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and ...
, is set in Ménilmontant. * ''
Le Ballon Rouge ''The Red Balloon'' () is a 1956 French fantasy comedy-drama featurette written, produced, and directed by Albert Lamorisse. The thirty-four-minute short, which follows the adventures of a young boy who one day finds a sentient, mute, red ballo ...
'' (
1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...
), the
Palme d'Or The (; ) is the highest prize awarded to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festiv ...
–winning classic
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
, was set in Ménilmontant. * '' Gigot'' (
1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
), an American comedy film directed by
Gene Kelly Eugene Curran Kelly (August 23, 1912 – February 2, 1996) was an American dancer, actor, singer, director and choreographer. He was known for his energetic and athletic dancing style and sought to create a new form of American dance accessibl ...
and starring
Jackie Gleason Herbert John Gleason (born Herbert Walton Gleason Jr.; February 26, 1916June 24, 1987), known as Jackie Gleason, was an American comedian, actor, writer, and composer also known as "The Great One". He developed a style and characters from growin ...
, was filmed in Ménilmontant. * '' The Bourne Identity'' (
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
), the
chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national American financial institution * Chase UK, a British retail bank * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturer * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in ...
scene, with Franka Potente and
Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...
in a
Mini Hatch The Mini (stylised as MINI) supermini range, marketed under various names such as Mini Cooper, Mini Hatch, Mini Hardtop, Mini One, and Mini John Cooper Works, are a family of Retro-style automobile, retro-styled three-door hatchback, two-door ...
, was filmed partly in Ménilmontant. * ''Un p'tit gars de Ménilmontant'' (
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
), a crime drama movie by Alain Minier, was set in Ménilmontant.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menilmontant Districts of Paris