The Château de Vincennes

Standing squarely at the eastern approaches to Paris, for over seven hundred years the Château de Vincennes has stood, solid and reassuring, like a sentinel watching over the French capital. Its medieval form, sheer bulk, and often military role have earned it a reputation for austerity, but there is more to the chateau than that : its history is bound up with that of the French kings. It all began in the 12th century, when the Capetians built a hunting lodge here. Soon, it became one of their favourite homes when they were not living in Paris at the Palais de la Cité. In the mid-14th century, the royal residence was metamorphosed when Jean le Bon (Jean II the Good) and his son Charles V built the keep and wall around the chateau. From then on, and through to the 17th century, the redoubtable fortress became a refuge for French sovereigns during times of war or unrest. One of the biggest medieval fortresses in Europe, Vincennes continued to play a military role under successive French regimes from the Revolution to the Second World War.