Le Passe-Muraille (Iiterally "the passer-through-walls") is a cool (and quick) site to visit in Montmartre based on the "Le Passe-muraille" French short story published by Marcel Aymé in 1941. The story has been translated to English as "The Man who Could Walk through Walls" and immortalized in metal & stone here by French sculptor (and actor) Jean Marais.
What's especially cool about the statue placed in 1989 is that it is literally within a wall in front of the author Marcel Aymé's house. It's located on Rue Norvins not far from the legendary Le Moulin de la Galette restaurant and down the hill from Basilique du Sacré-Cœur. Stopping by to take a picture or two is not only free, but cool to be reminded of the story about a man who could walk through walls.
The story goes that a man named Dutilleul living in Montmartre discovers he has the ability to pass effortlessly through walls. He visits a doctor for a cure who prescribes a medicine which he never takes. Later, Dutilleul uses his power to take revenge on his manager before becoming a successful burglar known throughout the city as "The Lone Wolf" famous for repeated escapes from prison ... thanks to his unique ability to walk through walls.
Eventually, he falls in love with a beautiful woman with a jealous husband who locks his wife in her bedroom each night ... which does not deter Dutilleul from visiting her while the husband is away. Of course, the story takes a dramatic turn when Dutilleul takes medicine for a headache that turns out to be the old pills from the doctor to cure his ability to pass through walls. The pills have no immediate effect and he visits his secret lover only to discover upon leaving that there is a growing resistance with each wall he goes through ... until he reaches the final outer wall ... only to become trapped in the wall on Rue Norvins ... where we can visit him today. read more