The château de Vincennes

The Château de Vincennes

Standing squarely at the eastern approaches to Paris, for over seven hundred years the Château de Vincennes has stood, solid and reassuring, like a sentinel watching over the French capital. Its medieval form, sheer bulk, and often military role have earned it a reputation for austerity, but there is more to the chateau than that : its history is bound up with that of the French kings. It all began in the 12th century, when the Capetians built a hunting lodge here. Soon, it became one of their favourite homes when they were not living in Paris at the Palais de la Cité. In the mid-14th century, the royal residence was metamorphosed when Jean le Bon (Jean II the Good) and his son Charles V built the keep and wall around the chateau. From then on, and through to the 17th century, the redoubtable fortress became a refuge for French sovereigns during times of war or unrest. One of the biggest medieval fortresses in Europe, Vincennes continued to play a military role under successive French regimes from the Revolution to the Second World War.