{"id":3513,"date":"2023-08-08T21:00:03","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T01:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/?p=3513"},"modified":"2023-08-10T20:08:55","modified_gmt":"2023-08-11T00:08:55","slug":"offbeat-travel-le-passe-muraille-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/offbeat-travel-le-passe-muraille-in-paris\/","title":{"rendered":"Offbeat Travel: Le Passe-Muraille in Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

OK, so you’re sightseeing in Paris and are walking through the Montmartre district and suddenly you see what looks like the statue of a man emerging from a stone wall. Is this some kind of mistake? Did someone build a wall around a statue, or did they attach pieces of a statue to the wall as a joke?<\/p>\n

Well, the statue is not a joke, but rather an homage to a native author and one of his most treasured short stories. The statue intentionally depicts a man partially emerging from a stone wall, his upper body, head, hands, and one leg on one side of the wall, while the rest of his body is presumably sticking out the back.<\/p>\n

The statue is based on a character from a short story called “Le Passe-Muraille” by French author Marcel Aym\u00e9. The story was published in 1943 as part of a collection called Le Vin de Paris, <\/em>and tells the tale of a man named Dutilleul who discovers one day that he has the ability to pass through walls. Initially, he uses this power for his personal convenience — getting easily in and out of buildings and such — but he eventually begins to commit acts of mischief and even thievery upon the locals in the town. Dutilleul also falls in love with a married woman and begins to use his powers to visit the woman while her husband is away.<\/p>\n

After Dutilleul is convicted of his crimes, he is thrown into jail, but of course with his ability he easily breaks out. Dutilleul eventually loses his power just as he’s trying to pass through a wall and ends up stuck there forever, a fate that Aym\u00e9 captures in this sculpture.<\/p>\n

(If this sounds vaguely familiar, you might be a fan of obscure Broadway musicals. The story was made into a charming but slight show called Amour<\/em>, with music by famed French composer Michel Legrand. Alas, it closed after only two weeks of performances.)<\/p>\n

\"\"Rue Norvins Le Passe-Muraille statue<\/a> by Mizarathustra<\/a> licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

French sculptor Jean Marais created the statue in 1989 as a tribute to both Marcel Aym\u00e9 and the character he created. The statue has become a popular tourist attraction in Montmartre and is often visited by people who are familiar with the story or who simply wish appreciate the whimsy and creativity behind the statue.<\/p>\n

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If you’re interested in seeing the statue for yourself, simply head to the Montmartre neighborhood. Of course, once you’re done, there’s a lot more to do in this area, which is known for its artistic and bohemian atmosphere and is home to several notable attractions. In particular. the statue is close to two main tourist haunts: the Sacr\u00e9-C\u0153ur, a stunning white-domed basilica that sits atop a hill and offers panoramic views of Paris, and the notorious Moulin Rouge cabaret, known for its colorful history and risqu\u00e9 entertainment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Featured Image: Le Passe-Muraille<\/a> by Coralie Mercier<\/a> licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OK, so you’re sightseeing in Paris and are walking through the Montmartre district and suddenly you see what looks like the statue of a man emerging from a stone wall. Is this some kind of mistake? Did someone build a wall around a statue, or did they attach pieces of a statue to the wall […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":3515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,102,103],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3513","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-europe-travel","8":"category-international-travel","9":"category-offbeat-travel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3513"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3542,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3513\/revisions\/3542"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cheapoair.ca\/getting-there\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}