For Danielle and Jerry Reinstein whose Parisian home is in Montparnasse.
Montparnasse
Montparnasse is a part of the city of Paris south of the river Seine.
The name “Montparnasse” derives from Mt. Parnas of Greek myth, where the muses live – in the 17th century this area, at the time beyond the Paris city limits, was still occupied by an artificial hill made from rubble which inspired the students from the nearby
Quartier Latin
. Today, the Montparnasse quarter (
sans
the hill, which was removed in the second half of the 18th century) forms, after a creeping urbanisation and its complete incorporation in 1860, the northern part of the 14th
arrondissement
between
Boulevard Raspail
and
Boulevard du Montparnasse
. Since the late 19th century, the area has attracted artists, writers, and composers, even from abroad, plus also political exiles such as Lenin or Trotsky. There was a rather exuberant night life in the musical theatres and clubs of the quarter. During the German occupation in WWII , many of the artists had to flee or were killed (particularly if they had a Jewish background). After the war, Montparnasse never regained its former stature, but it remains one of the more stylish quarters of Paris.
The famous
Gare Montparnasse
(Montparnasse railway station) was originally constructed in 1840, but already in 1848–52 had to be replaced with a new construction on the foundations of the old one due to high passenger volume. Today’s station was built in the 1960s together with the
Tour Montparnasse
high-rise building, and altered 1990 to accommodate the start of the
LGV Atlantique
high-speed line. The main entrance of today’s station is several hundred metres away from its original location, which is why the Paris–Brest railway officially starts at kilometre 0.5.
With 28 platforms,
Gare Montparnasse
is one of the six large terminus stations of Paris and serves the west and south-west of France, Brittany, and the Atlantic coast, plus connections to Spain. The daily passenger volume averages around 175,000 people (during holidays, up to 400,000), and around 315 trains are dispatched per day.
From “Anselm's Notes on Dances”, by Anselm Lingnau
(Used by permission.)