In Paris, the windmill blades of the world-famous cabaret Moulin Rouge fell onto the sidewalk. The cause is still unclear. According to the fire department, no one was injured and there is no further risk of collapse.
The windmill blades of the Moulin Rouge in Paris broke off during the night and fell onto the sidewalk. According to a spokesman, the incident occurred between two and three in the morning, when the cabaret theater was already closed. No one was injured, the fire department said. There is no further risk of collapse.
The cause is still unclear. A representative of the theater emphasized that the windmill mechanism on the building’s roof was checked weekly by technicians. The most recent examination did not reveal any abnormalities.
The police cordoned off the area and experts examined the security of the building. “It was not a malicious act,” says the general director of the famous cabaret, Jean-Victo Clerico. “The wings are independently inspected every two months, and internally we do this every week.” The Moulin Rouge is monitored day and night, especially the roof. “It must have been a technical problem. But we didn’t see any anomalies before.”
The collapsed windmill blades of the Moulin Rouge lie on the sidewalk – the cause is still unclear.
Also three letters torn off
The wings are made of wood, metal and aluminum. Around 20 years ago they were made lighter thanks to the mix of materials.
Pictures show how the damaged windmill blades lie in front of the cabaret theater. The accident site has now been cleared and the wings were removed before nine o’clock. The first three letters of the large lettering – M, O and U – were also torn off.
Opened 135 years ago
The worst disaster in the Moulin Rouge’s more than hundred-year history was a fire caused by construction work in 1915. The cabaret then had to remain closed for nine years for renovation work.
The variety theater at the foot of Montmartre is a tourist magnet and is considered the birthplace of the cancan dance. It opened in 1889, the same year that the Eiffel Tower was completed in the French capital. There are two performances every evening in the cabaret and it attracts around 600,000 spectators per year.
Five years ago there was a fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral
Five years ago, the Notre-Dame Cathedral in the French capital was badly damaged by a devastating fire, with the roof tower collapsing in front of the camera. Reconstruction is currently underway. President Emmanuel Macron’s wish to reopen by the fifth anniversary of the fire could not be fully met, but it is scheduled to take place on December 8th.
A landmark was also hit in Copenhagen just a week ago. Half of the historic stock exchange in the Danish capital burned down in a fire, so that initially only the outer walls remained. However, large parts of the facade later collapsed.
With information from Stefanie Markert, ARD Studio Paris
Julia Borutta, ARD Paris, tagesschau, April 25, 2024 10:35 a.m