Coveted Medieval Castle near Paris

Chateau de Vincennes on the Outskirts of Paris is a Must See

Oct 6, 2008

From hunting lodge and royal residence to porcelain factory and military arsenal, the Castle of Vincennes has witnessed the unfolding of France across many centuries.

The Château de Vincennes is located in the town of Vincennes in the southeast area of Paris, considered by the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau to be “undergoing a renaissance”. Not the glam and glitz of Versailles, but an important castle in France nonetheless, the Château de Vincennes is replete with turrets, a moat, and a checkered colourful past.

Beginnings in the Middle Ages

Near the end of his reign in the 12th Century, Louis VII established a hunting lodge at the location to maximize the royal forest of Vincennes. Philippe-Auguste (1180-1223) made it a royal residence and the center of the Ile-de-France royal courts. From that point on, the castle had an increasingly important place in the life of the monarchs, was frequently visited by nobles, such as Louis IX, and took on grandeur proportions to suit the royal palette.

Unequalled Development during the Hundred Years War and the Renaissance

During the 14th Century and Hundred Years War the castle saw a beehive of activity: Philippe de Valois demolished the ancient buildings and laid foundations for the present-day edifice; three kings came into the world (Louis X, Philippe V, and Charles IV); and two marvellous structures were added (the Donjon tower commissioned by Jean II in 1361 and the stunning Gothic La Sainte Chapelle ordained in 1379 by his son, Charles V). Furthermore, a relatively sore subject, the castle fell into the hands of the English for a 15-year period while war raged. Several regal men breathed their last, including Henry V in 1422, Charles IX in 1574, and Cardinal Mazarin in 1661. The castle met its royal-residence end in 1682 when Louis XIV moved the royal court to Versailles, usurping the medieval former in favour of the grander and more modern latter.

Changing Fortunes in the Industrial and French Revolutions

The Industrial Revolution saw the castle abandoned and become home to the royal porcelain factory (1740 -1756) until such production was moved to Sévres. In 1757 the castle became an arms manufactory, had a brief stint as a bread factory, then developed into an arsenal in 1796. From that time until the present day, the castle has remained rather steadily in military hands.

New Life with Napoleon, WWII, and the 20th Century

With its new tenants, the chateau took on a relatively sinister life. Napoleon Bonaparte had the Duke d’Enghien executed there next to an open grave in 1804; a scandal from which he never quite recovered. Later on, quite to the opposite end, Napoleon III had the keep and chapel restored and gave the castle and neighbouring Bois de Vincennes to Paris for use as a public park. A sombre tone again took hold with the execution of the infamous madam of espionage, Mata-Hari, in the early 20th Century. The Nazis set up house in WWII and the chateau was the setting for the murder of 30 hostages in 1944. Peace triumphed and in 1948 the historic services of the French Forces took up residence.

Home to Famous (Unwilling) Personalities

Many famous and infamous characters were imprisoned in Château de Vincennes, such as Marquis de Sade, Henry the IV during the Wars of Religion, Diderot, and Mirabeau (1777-1780). The unfortunate minister, Nicolas Fouquet, was detained here by Louis XIV over the Vaux le Vicomte incident, and, during the early stages of the Revolution, the castle was used as a “place of confinement for disorderly women”.

Well worth a visit, the Château de Vincennes is a wonderful example of a medieval castle that has seen countless historic events unfold.

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