It would be hard to miss the place du Tertre, one of the most touristy spots in all of Paris. Although today it’s filled with visitors, buskers and portrait artists, it was originally the main square of the village of Montmartre before it was incorporated into the city proper.
One of the more popular claims of Montmartre mythology is staked to La Mère Catherine at No 6: in 1814, so it’s said, Cossack soldiers first introduced the term bistro (Russian for ‘quickly’) into the French lexicon. Another big moment came on Christmas Eve 1898, when Louis Renault’s first car was driven up the Butte to the place du Tertre, igniting the start of the French auto industry.
