Château de Vincennes: station history
Served by: metro line 1.
Did you know?
Eastern terminus of line 1, the station lies on the border of the 12th arrondissement and the commune of Vincennes, under avenue de Paris and avenue de Nogent, alongside the royal castle that gives it its name. It has six entrances, only two of them in Paris. Its four tracks form two identical half-stations, one for arriving trains and one for departures towards La Défense; the southernmost arrival track is used for the interior cleaning of trains.
Anecdote
The arrival platform keeps the Mouton-Duvernet style, with a painted vault and vertical tiling, but its lighting was replaced by Bruno-Gaudin-style strips during the automation of the line. The departure platform, renovated in the Andreu-Motte style, has white tiles, a red lighting box and a small masonry bench with red tiling. During the automation works the station was closed completely and Bérault served as a temporary terminus. On foot, Vincennes RER station is more than 550 metres away.
Audio guide
The Château de Vincennes, one of the hotspots of Power
It is the largest surviving royal castle in France and, due to the height of its keep, one of the highest plain fortresses in Europe. Abandoned in favour of Versailles, it became in turn a state prison, a porcelain factory and then a military arsenal. Open to visitors, it also hosts the headquarters of the historical service of the Defense.
The dungeon rises to 52 meters. Charles V, who was born here, made it his residence and seat of government, and added the large enclosure: a rectangle of about 330 by 175 meters, pierced by three doors and flanked by six 42-meter towers. A Sainte-Chapelle, begun in 1379 under the direction of Raymond du Temple, was not inaugurated until 1552; it was restored in 2008-2009 and reopened to the public on 15 May 2009.
The keep serves as a state prison: Cardinal de Retz, Nicolas Fouquet, Voltaire, the Marquis de Sade, Mirabeau and Diderot are locked up there. After 1848, Barbès, Blanqui and Raspail were detained there. In 1804, the Duke of Enghien was shot in the ditches on Napoleon's orders.
In the 18th century, the castle housed the Manufacture de Vincennes, which became the Manufacture de Sèvres. In 1796, it was transformed into an arsenal, which housed the historical section of the army.
Around Château de Vincennes
- Château de Vincennes, 220 m away — A former medieval royal residence, Europe's tallest fortified keep, where Henry V of England died.
- Bois de Vincennes, 1400 m away — Paris's largest green space, with a lake, zoo and racecourse, a former royal hunting ground.
- Parc floral de Paris, 750 m away — A 31-hectare botanical garden within the Bois de Vincennes, known for its plant collections and summer concerts.