Paris - Palace Courtyard - Versailles

Plate CIV – Palace Courtyard …

Turning from the gates to face the palace, the sky was becoming heavily clouded. Having been uncertain in which order to visit - the palace first, or the gardens - my mind was made up by this sight. I knew that European rain storms were relatively short and unlike those lasting several hours or even whole days that I knew from Africa, they’d appear, rain themselves out and then as if another season had arrived the sun would shine again. A few hours of visiting the palace interiors would give this one time to pass. Wouldn’t it?

And so it was I entered the palace doors …

The first chateau dating from the 1630’s was originally a hunting lodge built for Louis XIII, then mainly resident at Vincennes. It was however Louis XIV who decided to move the royal court from Paris to Versailles, declaring the Palace his official residence in 1682, which it was to remain until his death here in 1715. It was he who commissioned the majestic designs of both the palace and the grand gardens known today. The wonderful symmetry of the palace can be seen as you approach the main entrance.

Paris - Château de Vincennes - 12me

Plate XCVII - Chateau de Vincennes …

I have broken a self imposed rule of posting pictures by arrondissement, firstly because Vincennes is very much on the edges of the city, and secondly because, sadly, my visit here was towards the end of my stay in Paris making its placement seem appropriate. With only a few evenings and half weekend ahead of me there was still so much I wanted to do. What would it be – Disneyland Paris, Parc Asterix or Vincennes? Having been disappointed by the Bois de Boulogne, I decided that the Bois de Vincennes would perhaps bring some compensation; Disneyland was a definite no-go - I’ll keep American culture for trips to America, bad enough that I had to be confronted with both a Disney store and the ubiquitous McDonalds on the Champs Elysées. (Such, sadly, is part of the price of globalisation). The Parc devoted to the plucky little Gaul we know as Asterix was tempting, but a dip into the history of Chateau de Vincennes convinced me there simply was no contest – for it is at Vincennes that so much French royal history and culture has it early records.

The Château itself, again open to the public, was closed during my trip and so I had to be contented to admire it from the exterior walls. The towering Donjon (52 metres), started in April 1361, is certainly impressive.  The first recorded royal hunting dwelling here dates back to the early eleventh century. It was however during the reign of Louis IX (St Louis) in the thirteenth century that its royal residence status became more widely acknowledged, and it was from here that Louis set out on his crusades. Main work on the Châtelet of the donjon was probably completed in 1369 in the reign of Charles V, who was born and who died here. It was here too that the Relics of The Passion (supposedly Christ’s Crown of Thorns) were held following their acquisition from the Emperor of Constantinople and prior to their transfer to Ste. Chapelle in Paris. Vincennes fell out of royal favour during the reign of Louis XIII as attention began to focus on Versailles. Following the destruction of the Bastille during the revolution, prison overcrowding became an issue in Paris, and in 1790 the National Assembly decreed that the donjon was to be at the disposal of the city. Rumours of the construction of a new Bastille at Vincennes had workers marching on the donjon to bring about its destruction, an act prevented by General Lafayette during events known as the ‘Affaires de Vincennes’. The Château became the headquarters for the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces from 1936 until 1940 when it was occupied by German troops, who inflicted heavy damages on the buildings on their withdrawal in August 1944. Restoration of the Château has been ongoing since 1988.

A porcelain manufactory established in Vincennes in 1738 by migrants from Chantilly, was later moved to the suburban town of Sèvres under the patronage of Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour. We’ll visit there shortly.

Paris - Hôtel de Ville - 4me

Plate XXXVIII – Hotel de Ville…

It’s a Hotel, but you can’t stay here. 

For the visitor unfamiliar with the French language the titles that the French give to their buildings can be a little confusing. Often what the English call a Hall the French call a hôtel. But they also call a hotel a hôtel. You ought to understand that!!  So don’t try to reserve a room at the Hôtels de Ville or des Invalides (or several others) for you will not be welcome overnight. At many other hours of the day however you will be – and you should go.

The Hôtel de Ville in Paris is the City Hall. Housing the office of the mayor, it is the administrative centre of the city. It stands on the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville, formerly known as the Place de Grève. There was at one time in the area a Seine river port at this location, and the original building here known as the House of Pillars (Maison aux Piliers) was bought in 1357 by Étienne Marcel, the mayor (known at the time as the provost of the merchants and lynched by a mob outside the hall in 1358). The original City Hall replaced this house during the reign of Louis XIII in 1628, although its planning started in the middle 1500’s under Francis I. The site of many Revolutionary events the Hôtel de Ville (along with all its public records) was destroyed in a fire by extremists during the Paris Commune in 1871.

The rebuilding of the Hôtel was to last from 1873 to 1892; the new interior being a completely new design, although the exterior (built within the remaining shell of the old building) is a close copy of the 16th century original. Murals, paintings and sculptures decorate the façade and interiors, featuring many famous Parisians, and executed (a good word choice - for many public executions took place outside the Hotel) by leading artists and sculptors of the day. Statues of Art and Science by Jules Blanchard flank the main entrance.