Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Château de Vincennes, located in the eastern suburbs of Paris, is a fortress whose construction spanned from the 14th to the 17th century. Originally a simple royal mansion built by Louis VII before 1178, it became a resort residence under Philippe Auguste (1180), then a major fortress under Philippe VI of Valois and Charles V (XIVth century). The latter made it his residence and seat of government, adding a 52-metre dungeon (the highest in Europe in the plain) and a monumental enclosure completed in 1380. The Sainte-Chapelle, inspired by that of Paris, was founded in 1379 to house a fragment of the crown of thorns, but its works extended until the 16th century under Henry II.

In the 17th century, Louis Le Vau reorganized the castle for Louis XIV: he built the King's and Queen's pavilions (1658-1661), connected by a portico, and built gardens to the French by Le Nôtre. However, Vincennes was gradually abandoned to Versailles after 1670. The dungeon, transformed into a state prison in the 17th century, welcomed illustrious prisoners such as Voltaire, Mirabeau or the Marquis de Sade. In the 19th century, the castle became a military arsenal and underwent major changes, including the search of towers (except that of the Village) under Napoleon I.

The site is marked by tragic events, such as the execution of the Duke of Enghien in 1804 or that of Mata Hari in 1917. During the Second World War, he served as the headquarters of the French General Staff in 1940 and was partially destroyed in 1944 by the retired Nazis. Since 1948, it has been home to the Defence Historical Service. Ranked a historic monument in 1993 and 1999, the castle has undergone major restorations since 1988, notably for its dungeon (opened in 2007) and its Sainte-Chapelle. Today, he reports to both the Ministries of Culture and Defence.

Archaeological excavations carried out since the 1990s, notably by Jean Chapelot, revealed key elements of the medieval mansion of Saint Louis, as well as lapidary marks (713 patterns identified on 90,000 blocks) bearing witness to the organization of the site in the Middle Ages. These discoveries have enabled us to better understand the evolution of the site, from its function as royal residence and hunting to its military and prison role. The wood of Vincennes, a vestige of the ancient royal forest, is today a green Parisian lung.

The castle is distinguished by its hybrid architecture: a quadrangular enclosure of more than one kilometre, flanked by nine towers (including six of 42 meters) and a dungeon designed as an autonomous fortress. Unlike the perched castles, Vincennes is built on a limestone plateau, with moats fed by the Montreuil Ru. Its spatial organization reflects its dual vocation as a royal palace and stronghold, capable of sheltering thousands of people. The classical pavilions of Le Vau, although partially destroyed in 1944, illustrate the transition between medieval castle and Baroque residence.

A symbol of royal power, Vincennes was also a place of detention for historical figures, an industrial site (painting porcelain in the 18th century) and a strategic issue during the conflicts, as in 1814-1815, when General Daumesnil resisted the Prussian and Russian troops for five months. Today, the national domain of the castle (created in 2021) combines heritage, military memory and natural space, with the wood of Vincennes administered by the city of Paris since Napoleon III.

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