Lola Montez House

Lola Montez House Review

In the center of town, on the site of the original, stands a reproduction of the Lola Montez House, home of the notorious dancer, singer, and courtesan. Montez, who arrived in Grass Valley in the early 1850s, was no great talent—her popularity among miners derived from her suggestive "spider dance"—but her loves, who reportedly included composer Franz Liszt, were legendary. According to one account, she arrived in California after having been "permanently retired from her job as Bavarian king Ludwig's mistress," literary muse, and political adviser. She apparently pushed too hard for democracy, which contributed to his overthrow and her banishment as a witch—or so the story goes. The Grass Valley/Nevada County Chamber of Commerce is headquartered here.