Place Blanche, Square in the 9th arrondissement, Paris
Place Blanche is a small oval square in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, in the Quartier Saint-Georges, sitting at the junction of Rue Fontaine, Rue Blanche, and Boulevard de Clichy. The Moulin Rouge cabaret stands right on the square, its red windmill on the roof visible from a distance.
The square took its current oval shape in the 19th century, at a time when the surrounding area was home to flour and plaster factories that used the slope of the Montmartre hill. During the Paris Commune, barricades were built here in 1871, making it a point of resistance in the city.
The name of the square comes from the white dust left on the pavement by flour and plaster carts that once came down from the hill. Today, that industrial past is long gone, and the surrounding streets are lined with cafes and shops that draw a steady flow of locals and visitors.
The closest Metro station is Blanche on line 2, right at the square, making it easy to arrive and leave without getting lost. From the square, you can walk up into Montmartre, though some parts of the route involve steep streets.
In the 1950s, Swedish photographer Christer Strömholm spent years documenting the lives of transsexual women who lived around the square, resulting in the book Les Amies de Place Blanche. It is considered one of the earliest and most personal photographic records of that community in Europe.
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