Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Loading...
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
Ōmori Nori Vending Machine
Parkway Bakery and Tavern has been slinging these sandwiches since 1929.
Parkway Bakery and Tavern
Parkside Plum Juice
Dishes at Aksorn are grounded in deep historical research.
Aksorn
Thailand’s hot, humid climate meant that customers wanted an alternative to hot tea.
ChaTraMue
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
You could probably take some of that stuff out.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Pack Light for a Long Trip?
Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture
Petrified Forest National Park.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All France Paris Georges Méliès's Grave
AO Edited

Georges Méliès's Grave

The final resting place of the "father of special effects."

Paris, France

Added By
CoolCrab
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The grave.   ManoSolo13241324/cc by-sa 4.0
The grave.   Kafziel/cc by-sa 3.0
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
A famous image from “A Trip to the Moon.”   Georges Méliès/public domain
  rbenn250 / Atlas Obscura User
Georges Méliès.   Maëlann LE GAL/public domain
  SEANETTA / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The grave of George Méliès stands in a humble plot within a Paris graveyard. For cinema buffs, a visit to the final resting place of the “father of special effects” almost feels like a pilgrimage.

Méliès was an illusionist and film director whose contributions to cinema still exist today. He experimented with, pioneered, and popularized effects like substitution splices, multiple exposures, time-lapse photography, dissolves, hand-painted color, and the use of storyboards. Many of his films were short tech demonstrations of sorts, where one or several effects were shown in an interesting way.

He also made some of the first science fiction movies, complete with elaborate sets and effects. The best known of these movies is his 1902 classic Le Voyage dans la Lune or A Trip to the Moon. In this film, scientists shoot an astronaut to the moon using a large gun. On the moon, the astronaut then sees many strange landscapes and creatures, some nice and some hostile. Eventually, the protagonist returns to the Earth by pushing off the bullet from the Moon’s crescent and falls back to the planet.

Unfortunately, a great many of Méliès's works were lost due to improper storage and a lack of appreciation for them. However, enough of them have been preserved to ensure his place in history.

Related Tags

Special Effects Gravestones Burial Places Cemeteries Film Graves

Know Before You Go

The grave is freely accessible. Following a fundraising campaign the grave is currently (summer 2021) being restored. The grave is located in Division 64, along Avenue Circulaire, northwest from the main entrance. 

Community Contributors

Added By

CoolCrab

Edited By

avalard, SEANETTA, rbenn250

  • avalard
  • SEANETTA
  • rbenn250

Published

April 1, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Méliès
  • https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2036153312/save-the-grave-of-georges-melies-the-cinema-pionee/description
Georges Méliès's Grave
17 Avenue Gambetta
Paris, 75020
France
48.863349, 2.390888
Get Directions

Nearby Places

'Victims of Revolutions'

Paris, France

miles away

The Recumbent Effigy of Victor Noir

Paris, France

miles away

Étienne-Gaspard Robertson's Tomb

Paris, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Paris

Paris

France

Places 204
Stories 41

Nearby Places

'Victims of Revolutions'

Paris, France

miles away

The Recumbent Effigy of Victor Noir

Paris, France

miles away

Étienne-Gaspard Robertson's Tomb

Paris, France

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Paris

Paris

France

Places 204
Stories 41

Related Places

  • Geneva, Illinois

    Easy Chair Grave

    This carved armchair marks the final resting place for two pals in the Chicago suburbs.

  • Three concrete slabs with small, destroyed remains of headstones sit behind a V-shaped tree opening.

    Taos, New Mexico

    The Three Brujas

    Three witches are said to be buried beneath these unmarked concrete graves.

  • Charles F. Mills Grave Bell

    Thunderbolt, Georgia

    Charles F. Mills Grave Bell

    A 19th-century cemetery device to ensure that the prematurely buried would be "saved by the bell."

  • The actual tombstone of Billy the Kid

    Fort Sumner, New Mexico

    Grave of Billy the Kid

    The final resting place of the most famous outlaw in the Old West.

  • Mittie Manning’s Tomb

    Holly Springs, Mississippi

    Mittie Manning's Tomb

    This tomb was fashioned with a sliding window for a grieving mother who struggled with her daughter's death.

  • the headstone.

    Lafayette, Colorado

    Vampire Grave of Lafayette

    According to local legend, a tree grew from the stake that killed this alleged vampire. In reality, he probably died from influenza.

  • The gravestone.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Grave of 'The Great Lafayette'

    A magician and his beloved, pampered canine were buried together, within days of each other, due to a tragic twist of fate.

  • Tombs.

    Tlacotalpan, Mexico

    Municipal Cemetery of Tlacotalpan

    The graveyard displays the colonial Mexican and Caribbean architectural fusion that defines this city.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.