Description of the attraction
Vincennes Castle, located in the southeastern suburb of Paris in the city of Vincennes, bears little resemblance to other castles in France - it is a gloomy battle citadel with a harsh history.
It all started with the hunting lodge of Louis VII, built on this very spot around 1150. In the XIII century, through the efforts of Philip Augustus and Louis IX the Saint, a castle appeared here. From here in 1270 Saint Louis set out on a fatal crusade for him - to convert the Sultan of Tunisia to Christianity. In Africa, the king fell ill and died. The weddings of Philip III and Philip IV were celebrated in the Château de Vincennes; Louis X, Philip V Long and Charles IV died here.
The castle became a real defensive structure later, in the XIV-XV centuries. Philip VI built an impregnable donjon tower, Charles VI closed the perimeter of the outer walls. The completion of the construction came in time: during the religious wars of the 16th century, the castle became a prison. It was here that the future king and founder of the Bourbon dynasty, Henry IV, was imprisoned.
In the 17th century, Louis XIV set out to establish his residence in the castle. The pavilions for the Queen Dowager and Cardinal Mazarin were built here according to the project of the architect Louis Leveaux. However, the king's attention turned to Versailles, the work was stopped. A century later, the kings left the castle for good. At one time there was the Vincennes Porcelain Manufactory, then again a prison. The Duke de Beaufort, the financier Nicolas Fouquet, the Marquis de Sade, the free-thinker Diderot and the politician Count Mirabeau were serving their sentences here.
In 1804, the phrase "Château de Vincennes" became for Europe a symbol of lawlessness and state violence. By order of Napoleon, on the night of March 14-15, 1804, French dragoons made a lightning raid on the territory of the Duchy of Baden, where the French prince Duke of Enghien lived as an emigrant. The duke was captured, taken to France and shot in the castle moat early in the morning.
In the 20th century, it was here that the famous spy Mata Hari was executed. At the end of the occupation, the Germans shot three dozen innocent hostages in the fortress. Retreating, the Nazis blew up the king's pavilion and part of the casemates.
The castle has been a historical museum since 1934. Its restoration began immediately after the Second World War; now it has been completely restored.
