The vanished wind giants of Paris that fed people and inspired great painters (15 photos + 1 video)

Paris isn't the most hilly city, but its hills always offer easy access to the wind. Back when the city's flour milling industry flourished, these hills were dotted with numerous windmills. Some sources estimate there were over three hundred of them.





Huge volumes of grain arrived from the United States, and local mills ground it into flour for consumption in the capital. Bread was a staple food for poor French peasants. During shortages, prices could double, catastrophically impacting family budgets. Because of this, grain traders were often hated and suspected of speculation and hoarding stocks to artificially inflate the price of this vital commodity.



Windmills of Montmartre, Maurice Utrillo

Either way, these mills, standing on the outskirts of Paris, gave the city a distinctive appearance that invariably impressed foreign visitors.





Moulin de la Galette

Today, these mills are almost completely gone, but a few surviving examples still exist, though they have lost their original function. The most famous of these is the Moulin de la Galette, also known as the Blute Fen, located atop Montmartre Hill, which was once a rural area outside the city walls. This mill has a rich history.



It is now a restaurant.

The Moulin de la Galette was built in 1622 and was used to grind grain into flour and press grapes for wine. During the siege of Paris at the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1814, the Debray family, who owned the mill, defended it as a fortress. Several family members died in the process. The miller himself was hacked to pieces, and parts of his body were nailed to the mill's blades.



"Moulin de la Galette", 1886, Vincent van Gogh

During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Montmartre was attacked by twenty thousand Prussian soldiers. Again, the owner, Pierre-Charles Debret, was killed, and his body was hung from the wings of the mill.



After the siege, the miller's surviving son converted the mill into a guinguette—a popular drinking establishment in the 19th century. It eventually became a cabaret. Wealthy Parisians flocked to Montmartre to enjoy the charms of the countryside with a glass of wine, freshly baked bread, and views of Paris and the Seine. Great artists such as Renoir, Van Gogh, and Pissarro immortalized the Moulin de la Galette in their paintings.



"Bal de la Moulin de la Galette" (Pierre-Auguste Renoir)

Over its history, the building has served a variety of purposes, from an open-air café and restaurant to a music hall and television studios. In 1924, the owner moved the mill to its current location on the corner of rue Girardon and rue Lepic. It is now privately owned.



Moulin Radet

Another surviving Montmartre mill is the Moulin Radet, also owned by the Debray family. It now towers over a restaurant named after the Moulin de la Galette, on its original site.



Today, the Moulin Radet is more popular than the Moulin de la Galette because it is publicly accessible and easily accessible from the main road.



Moulin d'Orgemont

In Argenteuil, a rural retreat for Parisians located about 12 kilometers northwest of Paris, stands another old mill. The Moulin d'Orgemont was originally the old tower of Blanche of Castile, dating back to the 13th century. In the mid-19th century, it was converted into a restaurant. In 1999, the mill tower was almost completely destroyed by fire, but it was later restored to its current form. The restaurant is still there.



Moulin de la Tour in Ivry-sur-Seine

The Moulin de la Tour in Ivry-sur-Seine, a suburb southeast of Paris, is the last working windmill in the region. Built in the 17th century, it operated until the early 19th century. It then briefly served as a warehouse and lost its sails. The crumbling building was nearly demolished when city officials decided it was a historical monument and needed to be saved. It was restored to working order. The Moulin de la Tour now produces nut butter for the enjoyment of visitors.



Longchamp

The old Longchamp windmill, which today stands at the Longchamp racecourse in the Bois de Boulogne, is a reconstruction. The original was once part of a monastery and was built in the 13th century. During the French Revolution, when the clergy were expelled, the abbey and the mill were destroyed. It was rebuilt on the same foundations when the hippodrome was reconstructed in 1856.



Le Moulin de la Galette, Van Gogh



Montmartre, Quarries and Windmills, Van Gogh



Windmills on Montmartre, Georges Michel