Montparnasse

Montparnasse is an area of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centered on the intersection of the Boulevard de Montparnasse and the Boulevard Raspail. Montparnasse was absorbed into the 14ème arrondissement in 1860.

Related Topics:
Paris - France - Left bank - Seine - Boulevard de Montparnasse - Boulevard Raspail - 14ème arrondissement - 1860

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The area also gives its name to:

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• Gare Montparnasse - trains to Brittany, TGV to Tours, Bordeaux, Le Mans; rebuilt as a modern TGV station;
• The large Montparnasse - Bienvenüe métro station;
• Cimetière du Montparnasse - the Montparnasse Cemetery, where Charles Baudelaire, Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Samuel Beckett are buried
• Tour Montparnasse, a lone skyscraper.

The Pasteur Institute is located in the area. Beneath the ground are tunnels of the Catacombs of Paris.

Related Topics:
Pasteur Institute - Catacombs of Paris

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There are a number of Breton restaurants specializing in crêpes (thin pancakes) in the heart of Montparnasse, a few blocks from the Gare Montparnasse, originally oriented to serving Bretons who arrived here from Brittany.

Related Topics:
Breton - Crêpe

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The name Montparnasse stems from the nickname "Mount Parnassus" (In Greek mythology, home to the nine Greek goddesses (the Muses) of the arts and sciences) given to the hilly neighborhood in the 17th century by students who came there to recite poetry.

Related Topics:
Mount Parnassus - Greek mythology - Muses - 17th century

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The hill was levelled to construct the Boulevard Montparnasse in the 18th century.

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During the French Revolution many dance halls and cabarets opened their doors.

Related Topics:
French Revolution - Cabaret

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Montparnasse: Artistic Montparnasse ►