Le Moulin de la Galette: Paris's Two Surviving Windmills

Pass Place Marcel Aymé and continue a little way along Rue Girardon to find the two windmills that still stand in Paris. It's surprising enough that Paris has windmills at all, and even more so to learn that they were actually used. Montmartre is the highest ground in the city, so it may have been a natural spot for windmills, and at one time more than 30 of them stood here. As the windmills' function faded over the years, they disappeared into history, and only two lucky survivors remain to remind us that this was once windmill country.

These two windmills also inspired many of the artists who worked in the area. The best-known example is Renoir's Dance at Le Moulin de la Galette, whose cheerful dance scene on a fine day is set here, with the windmill in view. Today the site operates as a restaurant.