Montparnasse aujourd'hui Archives

Mont Parnasse got its name in the 17th century. It was an artificial hill formed of rubble and assimilated to the domain of Apollo because the place was conducive to romantic adventures. People have always come to Montparnasse to party; it is a place of meeting and conviviality.

It was during the Roaring Twenties (1919-1931) that the Montparnasse district gained fame by becoming the center of artistic, literary and cultural life in Paris. Here lived Chagall, Picasso, Léger, Gris, Foujita, Giacometti, Dali, Matisse, Soutine, Modigliani, Breton, Cocteau, Sartre, Miller, Miro, Man Ray, Cendrars, Brancusi, Jammes, Fitzgerald and so many others.

Today Montparnasse remains a place of leisure with its legendary cafés: Le Dôme, La Coupole, Le Select, La Closerie des Lilas, as well as its restaurants, cinemas and theaters. It also became a major business district of which the Montparnasse Tower is the emblem.