Château de Vincennes

The Château de Vincennes (French pronunciation: [ʃɑto d(ə) vɛ̃sɛn]) is a former fortress and royal residence next to the town of Vincennes, on the eastern edge of Paris, alongside the Bois de Vincennes. It was largely built between 1361 and 1369, and was a preferred residence, after the Palais de la Cité, of French kings from the 14th to 16th century. It is particularly known for its "donjon" or keep, a fortified central tower (the tallest in Europe) built in the 14th century and for the chapel, Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes, begun in 1379 but not completed until 1552, which is an exceptional example of Flamboyant Gothic architecture.

Because of its fortifications, the château was often used as a royal sanctuary in times of trouble and as a prison and military headquarters. The chapel was listed as an historic monument in 1853 and the keep was listed in 1913. Most of the building is now open to the public.

Text adapted from “Château de Vincennes” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Château de Vincennes ranks #123 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #18 of the 469 mapped in France. Founded 1340, it is older than 60% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 582 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 24,402 times in the last 60 days, more than 98% of the atlas. 37 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Paris, 6 km away. See how France compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗