Monuments in Paris: Château de Vincennes (Part 2 of 3)

Our visit to the Château de Vincennes continues.  

The word château in French has multiple meanings.  In France's wine country, the word château applies to a home with a vineyard.  The home can be grand or small.  Elsewhere, the word château means a large, stately home, including a royal palace, like the Château de Versailles.  The word château can also mean castle, like the Château de Vincennes.

The walled castle at the Château de Vincennes

The medieval castle at Vincennes is a fortress, designed to keep out any hostile group.  The first line of defense is an outer moat and high wall.  The second line of defense is a second deep, wide moat (pictured below).  In the past, the moat served as the castle's sewer.  So, mucking through the moat would have been somewhat unpleasant.      

A high wall inside the moat provides more protection.  It is topped with a parapet where archers can shoot anyone attempting to cross the moat.  The parapet also has holes in its floor for dropping all sorts of nasty things on attackers, nasty things like boiling oil and hot lead.  

If attackers manage to breach the outer defenses, they still had to cross more open ground before getting to the nearly impregnable keep in the center of the castle.    

The castle's outer wall on the right and the keep on the left.  

So, why did Charles V choose Vincennes for his royal residence, even though it is located far outside medieval Paris?  The answer is he chose it precisely because it was far from the hostile mobs of Paris who didn't adore Charles V.  The castle provided protection from both a foreign army and an angry mob.  

The castle has other interesting features, like a bell tower which also housed the king's office.  

Marie-Chantal in front of the bell tower

 

Another interesting feature are the stone carvings decorating the castle.  Some of the carvings depict angels playing musical instruments, like the one pictured below.

A bagpipe-playing angel?  Who knew.  Click on the video below to hear for yourself.

The castle also had indoor conveniences, like the latrine next to the king's bedchamber.  

Next Up:  Famous and infamous residents of the Château de Vincennes.