“A chateau on this street? Can you imagine that?” The Rue du Vieux Château whispers a history lost to time. Right here, where bustling apartments now stand, once sprawled the grand Château du Maine. This wasn’t some majestic royal residence though. It was a three-story townhouse, built around 1730, a whimsical “Fantasie” as it was known. Imagine, in the heart of what was then a rural expanse, the Château du Maine stood as a beacon. Its grounds, a sprawling 30,000 square meters, were a haven for the wealthy. It even housed a unique spectacle: the Géorama. This panoramic map of France, painted on the Château’s lawn, drew crowds eager to experience the nation in miniature. But progress, as it often does, swept in. The Château du Maine, sold and demolished in 1898, met a fate shared by much of the Rue du Vieux Château. The eastern portion of the street, with its humble dwellings, vanished a century later, erased from the Parisian landscape. Yet, whispers of the past linger. The street’s very name, Rue du Vieux Château, meaning “Old Castle Street”, serves as a constant reminder. It’s a testament to a time when life moved at a slower pace. A time when a “Fantasie” graced this very spot.
Центральный дом работников искусств
Step through the grand wooden doors of the Central House of the Workers of Art, and you’ll be transported to