Bataclan, Music venue and theatre in 11th arrondissement, France
Bataclan is a theatre and concert hall at 50 Boulevard Voltaire in the 11th arrondissement of Paris, designed by architect Charles Duval in 1864. Its cream facade rises above a ground floor with a black awning reading "Ba-ta-clan Café". The mid-level is painted in red, yellow and green geometric patterns framing four tall arched windows with dark red frames; above, a circular red-framed window sits between two rectangular windows, and the top is a stepped, ochre-roofed block.
The house opened in 1865 as a café-concert, where visitors could enjoy performances while drinking and eating light meals. After years as a cinema, the place became one of the main addresses for rock concerts in Paris during the 1970s.
The name comes from Offenbach's operetta Ba-ta-clan and also plays on the old French phrase tout le bataclan, meaning the whole lot. The facade was repainted in its original colours in 2006, though the pagoda roof has since been removed. Today the hall hosts an eclectic programme of rock and pop concerts, comedy, discos and café-théâtre.
Several Metro stations are only a few minutes' walk away, as are several bus stops, making access by public transport straightforward. The entrance sits directly on the wide street and is easy to find even after dark.
The name comes from an operetta by Jacques Offenbach, which enjoyed great success in the 19th century. At the same time, the word recalls a colloquial expression for commotion or racket, already hinting at the colorful character of the place back then.
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