Chateau Vincennes

Having hit a lot of the main sites in Paris on our visits, we decided to hit a site not in the Rick Steve's guide - Chateau Vincennes. It is located just outside the original city wall, which is now the circle highway, and is easily reached by the metro. In fact, there is a metro station named for it, so it is really easy to find. Our friend Lisa joined us for what proved to be a fun and interesting place to visit.



The castle was damaged a few years back in a storm, but has recently completed its renovation, and is a stunning site to visit. It's claim to fame is that its "Keep" is the tallest in Europe.







It was built by Charles V in the 14th Century, and has a long history as a palace, a prison, and a military station for both the Nazis and the Americans in WWII. Nowadays, part of the estate is used for the French Military's Administration offices.








It was used by the latter French kings as a hunting lodge, as it sits on a huge park. Until it was abandoned in favor of Versailles.








There isn't a whole lot to see inside the castle, and I hope they eventually add more to it, but it is a neat place to walk and climb around.

They've done a terrific job on the restoration.





Inside, you can visit the cell which held the Marquis de Sade. And the study of Charles V. Both of which are empty. It did make me think that the difference between a palace and a prison is only a few hundred years. As this isn't the first palace I've visited that was later used as a prison.



You can also see the exterior of an addition built for King Louis the 14th in the 17th century. It is a contrast to the earlier more fort-like structure of the Keep.




There is also a second Sainte Chappelle built here. It isn't as elaborate as the original downtown, but it is a pretty structure, which has also undergone a recent beautiful restoration. It is nice to see this version away from other structures, as the original has so much built up around it that it is hard to see what the exterior looks like.






Inside, it is pretty, but again fairly empty. It would be a wonderful venue for weddings or summer concerts.

We enjoyed our visit to Chateau Vincennes, and I'd recommend visiting it after you've seen the other big attractions in Paris.