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The Château de Vincennes is an imposing 13th century fortress which has stood at the heart of French history since its construction. Over the years this Paris sight has served as a prison, a fortress, and the site of numerous royal births, marriages, and executions.

It was built around 1150 as a hunting lodge for Louis VII, allowing him access to the nearby forest of Vincennes. The Château was considerably expanded by Louis IX who would soon depart from Vincennes on the crusade where he would meet his death.

The Château de Vincennes’s famous donjon tower, at 52m high, is the tallest fortified medieval structure in Europe. It was added by Philip VI of France around 1337. The grand rectangular circuit of walls, measuring more than a kilometer in length with six towers and three gates, each 42m high, was completed over the next hundred years. This done, the Château de Vincennes became one of the most formidable fortresses in all of France and the scene of numerous bloody battles.

There is also much royal history at Château de Vincennes. Philippe III and Philippe IV were both married here and three 14th-century kings were born at Vincennes: Louis X, Philippe V and Charles IV. Henri IV was imprisoned at Vincennes during the Wars of Religion.

The Château de Vincennes temporarily housed the Crown of Thorns and other holy relics while Sainte-Chapelle was being prepared. A fragment remained here and was housed in the chapel which still stands today.

The Château de Vincennes was all but abandoned in the 18th century, briefly becoming the site of the Vincennes porcelain manufactory. It then served as a state prison, which housed the marquis de Sade, Diderot, and Mirabeau, and in 1796 it became an arms manufactory.

In 1860, Napoleon III, having restored the keep and the chapel, gave the château to Paris as a public park. Today it stands as a reminder of the many dark and bloody battles France has had to endure and the grandeur in which they unfolded. It is surely a sight not to be missed while planning a trip with the Paris Pass.