Square Joel Le Tac

This shaded retreat at the base of the Montmartre hill honors the life of Joel Le Tac, a man whose wartime experiences defined his later decades as a politician and advocate for his local neighborhood. As a young law student, he refused to accept the 1940 armistice and fled to England to join the Free French Forces. He became one of the very first French paratroopers to return to occupied soil, executing daring sabotage missions against German infrastructure before his capture and eventual internment in multiple concentration camps. The park itself serves as an anchor for the surrounding community, which Le Tac represented in parliament for over twenty years. Its most striking feature is a monument honoring the Swiss-born illustrator Theophile Alexandre Steinlen, who lived in this district and famously captured its working-class spirit in his posters and drawings. This stone sculpture, dating back to 1936, features a pair of figures embracing above a series of bronze reliefs that depict soldiers, miners, and local residents. A lion-headed fountain remains at the center of the design, providing a quiet, historic focal point amidst the bustle of Montmartre.