Cirque d'Hiver

In Paris, most of the historical "sights" are concentrated in the center and western third of the city. The Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, tons of other museums and monuments, they're all jam-packed in one fairly small area, at least relative to the size of the entire city. That's because these are the older and posher areas; more was preserved when Baron Haussmann took his wrecking ball to various "insalubrious" neighborhoods in the 1860s. The east of the city has always been poorer, has been (and still is) home to various waves of immigrants, and seems more susceptible to ambitious urban renewal projects (like Haussmann's) that destroy vast swaths of housing, businesses, and landmarks. All of this exposition serves to highlight the improbability and wondrousness of the preservation of the Cirque d'Hiver.

First of all, a permanent building that primarily houses a circus? Who ever heard of such a thing? Parisians circa 1851, apparently, for that's when the Cirque Napoléon (after the Emperor who inaugurated it) was built. We haven't been inside, but I'm very curious to see what it looks like, since the building played host to the first "popular" concert series in Paris. (Initially conducted by Jules Pasdeloup, for whom the series was named, the concert series survives to this day.)

The Cirque d'Hiver surprises me every time I see it. And it reminds me of the otherwise consistent lack of similarly old, epic landmarks in eastern Paris. Can anyone think of anything I'm missing? (Besides the Gare de Lyon, Parc des Buttes Chaumont, the Porte at Nation, and Père Lachaise, which is a collection of tiny monuments rather than one big one . . .)

If you're walking down Boulevard du Temple from Place de la République, the Cirque d'Hiver will be on your left, in the 11th arrondissement, right next to the Filles du Calvaire métro station. Check it out!