The blades of the windmill that crowns the famous venue fell off in the early hours of Thursday morning
The facade of the Moulin Rouge (Red Mill) cabaret is seen Thursday, April 25, 2024 in Paris. © AP Photo/Oleg Cetinic
The blades of the windmill sitting on top of the world-famous Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris fell off in the early hours of Thursday morning, the local fire department has reported. The incident did not result in any casualties.
The Moulin Rouge, which translates as ‘Red Mill’ in English, opened its doors back in 1889 and has become one of the biggest tourist attractions in the French capital. The venue is celebrated as the birthplace of the can-can, with its flamboyant shows popularizing cabaret across Europe and beyond.
The only previous incident that resulted in any damage to the Moulin Rouge was a massive fire that ravaged the building in 1915.
On Thursday, the blades of the mill fell and knocked the first three letters of an illuminated sign bearing the name of the venue. The cause of the incident remains unknown.
Les joies d’aller bosser à 3h : se retrouver nez à nez avec l’hélice du moulin rouge tombée par terre pic.twitter.com/Xi9zI0TJHu
— Adélaïde Malavaud (@AMalavaud) April 25, 2024
A spokesperson for the Moulin Rouge told Reuters that the mill blades had fallen between 2am and 3am, some time after the last show had finished.
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AFP quoted a representative for the iconic venue as saying that “every week, the cabaret’s technical teams check the windmill mechanism, and did not notice any problems.”
