Monuments in Paris: Château de Saint-German-en-Laye

The Château de Saint-German-en-Laye is a fortified castle, similar to the Château de Vincennes. 

Located west of Paris, the chateau once served as a royal palace.  Today, the chateau and its grounds are open to visitors and the chateau is home to the National Museum of Archaeology.

We visited the chateau earlier in Year 4, touring the grounds, the castle, the archaeology museum and a special exhibition.

Here is a photographic tour.

Because we visited during July, the chateau's very large garden was blooming.

A WWI memorial in the garden

The chateau is a fortified castle surrounded by a moat.  A castle has stood on the site since 1124.  Over the centuries, the castle was expanded, burned, rebuilt and expanded several times.  The existing castle today looks like it did in the 1500's.  

Marie-Chantal stands next to the chateau's moat. 
Behind her is the chateau's 13th-century Gothic chapel, Chapelle-Saint Louis. 

The main entrance to the chateau crosses a bridge over the moat.

The inner courtyard of the chateau

A model of the chateau in the 16th century

If you love archaeology, then the National Museum of Archaeology is for you.  It is filled with prehistoric artifacts, such as arrowheads, pots and jewelry.  The museum also includes displays about France's early history, including the Gallic Wars (58-52 B.C.) between Rome led by Julius Caesar and the Gauls led by the chieftain Vercingetorix.  One of the museum's displays (pictured below) is a model of Julius Caesar's fortifications in 52 B.C. at the siege of Alesia, a Gaulish town located in the Burgundy region.  Caesar prevailed and took Vercingetorix prisoner.  The conquest of Gaul (modern-day France and Belgium) was completed within two years and Caesar returned to Rome.  

One of the museum's largest artifacts is located outside.  In the moat of the chateau, there is a partial replica of Trajan's Column in Rome.  In 1862, Emperor Napoleon III ordered a full-size bronze replica.  Using castings and photographs of the actual stone column, the bronze replica was partially completed. 

During 2019, the chateau hosted a special exhibition dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the birth of French King Henry II.  The future king was born in the chateau and lived there part of the time during his life.

Portraits by the Atelier de Francois Clouet (about 1570)

The exhibition included a drawing that depicts a 1559 joust.  The night before, Henry II's wife Catherine de' Medici had a dream that he would be harmed at the next day's joust.  Henry ignored her pleas not to participate.  During the joust, Henry failed to secure the face plate of his helmet.  His opponent's lance pierced Henry's head and he died 10 days later.   His opponent, a Scot, was arrested but escaped to Britain.  He returned to France years later to fight on the Protestant side in the Wars of Religion.  He was captured and sentenced to death in Paris.  If he had hoped his earlier accidental killing of the king would be forgotten, he was mistaken.  Catherine watched as he was beheaded.  A Medici never forgets.  

Thanks for visiting the Château de Saint-German-en-Laye with us.