Paris 20 Ménilmontant

Throughout much of the Middle Ages, what is now known as Ménilmontant was a rural hilltop hamlet within the independent commune (municipality) of Belleville, where wealthy Parisians vacationed. By the 19th century, as a result of the Industrial Revolution and urbanization, Ménilmontant quickly grew to include a large immigrant and working-class population, and in 1860, it was, like other suburbs surrounding the French capital, annexed into the city of Paris. By the mid-late 20th century, many artists, musicians, students, and hippies began to move into the area, giving the neighborhood a distinctively bohemian, left-wing and counterculture identity.

Today, old factory buildings have been repurposed to house hip live music venues such as La Bellevilloise and La Maroquinerie, while grungy bars along hilly Rue de Ménilmontant lead to warrens of narrow, cobblestone streets and artists’ studios.