Montparnasse comes from "Mount Parnassus", given to the neighborhood by students who came here to recite poetry. In the XVIIIth century, the bd Montparnasse was laid down and during the Revolution, lots of cabarets opened their doors. At the turn of the XXth century, Apollinaire, Gauguin and Matisse left Montmartre for the carrefour vavin. They set up their headquarter in two cafe: Le Dôme and La Coupole. Today their bohemain spirit is still very present in theatres and the legendary brasseries at Montparnasse, such as Le Select, La Rotonde and La Closerie des Lilas, where Picasso, Hemingway, Sartre and Beauvoir loved to linger. Here the great minds gathered: Picasso, Modigliani, Soutine, Paul fort, Apolinaire, Max Jacob, Hemingway, Breton, Cocteau, Fitzgerald, Henry Miller, Miro, Fujita... All have left their eternal mark in the memory of this area.

The Tower
It started as a redevelopment scheme of the Montparnasse and the railway stations in 1958 and had strong support from the french government. The tower itself was built between 1969 & 1973. During construction, the tower was very popular as it became a symbol of the new modern Paris. This changed however when the 210 meter tall Tour Montparnasse was completed. The 58 floors of the tower are mainly occupied by offices, while two floors are open to the public for viewing the city; the 56th floor with a restaurant, and the terrace on the top floor.
Public optinion turned against the tower because it intruded the skyline. Nowadays, the Paris skyscrapers are built on the outskirts of the city, mainly in the Défense area.

How to get there
Metro : Montparansse or Rennes

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