Panoramica:
Alla periferia orientale di Parigi, vicino alla città di Vincennes e al Bois de Vincennes, esplorate l'ex fortezza e dimora reale nota come Château de Vincennes. La maggior parte della sua costruzione è avvenuta tra il 1361 e il 1369 e dal XIV al XVI secolo è stato il palazzo preferito dai re francesi, secondo solo al Palais de la Cité. Scoprite l'affascinante passato di questa straordinaria struttura, che servì come prigione prima di diventare una caserma e un arsenale durante l'epoca napoleonica.
Punti salienti
- Visitate il famoso Château de Vincennes e lasciatevi affascinare dal classico edificio medievale completamente bianco che testimonia il suo antico status di palazzo reale.
- Esplorate le alte torri e le prigioni, che servivano a fortificare il castello durante le battaglie, e passeggiate per i suoi corridoi storici.
- Scoprite il torrione medievale ben conservato, la torre fortificata più alta d'Europa con i suoi 52 metri, dove morì il re Enrico V e dove furono rinchiusi Fouquet, il marchese de Sade e Mirabeau.
- Scoprite l'impressionante sfarzo esterno dell'edificio gotico e il bellissimo rosone della Sainte Chapelle de Vincennes.
If you've visited all of the main highlights of Paris, you should visit Vincennes. It was the Royal Palace before Versailles was built. Huge amount of history dating back more than 500 years. No crowds so relatively easy to move around. The church is simple but impressive. Well worth a couple of hours with easy access on the metro--15 minutes from Rue de Rivoli
Walking across the drawbridge was a walk into the past (but with modern bathrooms and electric lights). We climbed stone steps that have been worn down by countless feet, we studied walls painted by prisoners, and we peered out the windows of a king's study. The chapel is beautiful, with tall stained-glass windows. The courtyard was available for no charge, but we bought tickets so we could go into the chapel and castle, and these tickets were well worth buying. Dress for the weather!
This is a great opportunity to spend a morning absorbing medieval history and up to the time Louis XIV moved to Versailles. This would be especially good for trips with kids, but my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed learning about French history as epitomized by this site. The keep and its dungeon was established by Charles V as his residence and he started work on the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes located adjacent to the chateau. Purchase admission tickets to both and wander around using the audio guide. The site has been used by the military up to the present and thus has been configured differently from time to time as well as having suffered damage in WWII. However, the chateau and the chapel remain in the form started by Charles the V despite renovations over the centuries. The Chateau is located exactly at the last station on the Metro Line 1 and we found a very good cafe nearby for lunch afterwards. Next time I would consider packing a lunch and touring the very large recreational park adjacent to the chateau.