111 Places in Paris That You Shouldn't Miss by Sybil Canac

Author:Sybil Canac
Language: deu
Format: epub
Tags: Guide Book
Publisher: Emons Verlag
Published: 2017-05-18T16:00:00+00:00

55_La Java

A legendary ballroom

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One Thursday night, a sudden urge to go dancing led my friend and I to the “Bal des Martine” at La Java, the legendary ballroom in the basement of the Palais du Commerce. The building is an art deco construction dating from 1924 that has been landmarked as an historical monument since 1994. The space itself is totally unique: a commercial gallery constructed over three levels, with walkways around a central patio. The interior is lit up by glass flooring and tiles. The escalator tower above the entrance to La Java, for its part, is illuminated by splendid stained glass. In 1925, it was home to about fifty stores and ateliers, not to mention the Parisian hairdresser’s union and, most importantly, to La Java.

The room is named for a popular waltz that reigned in dancehalls all over Paris. Before World War II, it was also a popular place for the middle classes to go slumming (and sometimes pick up hookers). Closed in 1940 then reopened in 1943, La Java managed to restore its original spirit, where people danced the traditional waltz alongside the Java to popular tunes of the day. Fréhel and Édith Piaf made their debuts here, trading little songs for a warm plate of lentils and a few sous. The wine was cheap and the stage could be wheeled in and out according to the needs of the night. Django Reinhardt went to La Java – they say it was here that he first heard both jazz and accordion music, and that his “gypsy jazz” was the fruit of these encounters.

Info

Address 105 Rue du Faubourg-du-Temple, 75010 Paris, +33 (0)1 42 02 20 52 | Public Transport Metro to Belleville (Lines 2 and 11) or Goncourt (Line 11) Hours: Available at www.la-java.fr | Tip Go up Rue de Belleville until you find number 72, in the 20th arrondissement, where a plaque reminds you that right on the steps of this house, Édith Piaf was born into total destitution.

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