The landmark windmill on top of the world-famous Moulin Rouge cabaret club in Paris fell to the street in the early hours yesterday.
The club has been a fixture of Parisian night life since its opening in 1889. It is known as the birthplace of the can-can dance.
Police said there were no injuries. It appears that as the blades fell to the street, the first three letters of the ‘Moulin Rouge’ sign were also knocked off.
The cabaret, with its distinctive red windmill blades, is located in the northern Paris district of Pigalle and is one of the most visited landmarks in the city.
The Guardian reports that the only serious accident the landmark has endured was a fire that broke out during works in 1915, when the original Moulin Rouge burned to the ground.