Vincennes Woods

The Zoo de Vincennes, near Lac Daumesnil at the west end of the Bois, was established for the Colonial Exhibition of 1931. Laid out on a spacious scale, it fits harmoniously into the landscape of the Bois de Vincennes. Within its 17 hectares/42 acres it houses some 600 mammals and 1,200 birds in numerous large enclosures, with heated cages for winter. From the 72m/236ft high artificial (concrete) crag in the center of the Zoo there are views of the Bois de Vincennes, with the Château, and (in clear weather) eastern Paris.

The history of the Château de Vincennes can be traced in its architecture, which shows a combination of a medieval fortified castle with a Baroque palace. The walls of the castle, with their nine towers and the magnificent keep, enclose a spacious courtyard with four 17th century pavilions.The story of Vincennes begins in the 11th century, when the French crown acquired the forest of Vincennes, which belonged to the abbey of Saint-Maur. Thereafter the Bois de Vincennes belonged to the French kings, who built a hunting lodge here in the 12th/13th century. In the 14th century this was enlarged into a fortified castle, and in the 15th century it became the favorite residence of the royal family. After the defeat of the Fronde in 1652 the castle became a prison for opponents of the absolutist monarchy, including the Prince de Condé, the Prince de Conti and Cardinal de Retz; in the 18th century state prisoners included Diderot, Mirabeau and the Marquis de Sade, who spent some years of his life in prison here.In the 17th century Cardinal Mazarin commissioned Le Vau to build two symmetrical ranges of rooms, the Pavillon du Roi and the Pavillon de la Reine, in which the 22 year old Louis XIV and his bride Maria Theresa of Austria spent their honeymoon in 1661. In the early 18th century a porcelain manufactory was installed in the Tour du Diable (Devil's Tower) on the east side of the château; later in the century, however (1759), this was transferred to Sèvres. After being used by Napoleon I as an arsenal the château was renovated under Napoleon III by Viollet-le- Duc. Further extensive restoration was required after 1944 to make good the damage caused by German forces during their retreat.

The imposing Keep in the Vincennes Woods, completed about 1330, served both as a watch tower and as living quarters. Standing 52m/170ft high, with five storys, it has walls 3m/10ft thick, further reinforced by four round corner towers, a circuit of outer walls, a wall-walk and a moat. The cells which once housed prisoners have since 1934 been occupied by a museum.On the ground floor are the kitchen and store- rooms, on the first floor reception rooms and a business room, on the second the king's bedroom and the chapel, on the third the apartments of the royal family and the treasury, on the fourth rooms for members of the household and on the fifth the armory. From the roof terraces there are fantastic panoramic views.

The Sainte-Chapelle (1379-1552) at Vincennes, modeled on the Sainte Chapelle in the royal palace on the Ile de la Cité, has preserved its Gothic character (openwork gable, walls made up entirely of windows, variety of Late Gothic forms) in spite of the fact that it was completed only in the Renaissance period (magnificent Renaissance windows in choir). In the northern oratory is the tomb of the Duc d'Enghien, the last Prince de Condé, shot by Napoleon in Vincennes in 1804. A column outside the castle walls below the Tour de la Reine commemorates his execution.

On the Esplanade du Château in Vincennes is the Parc Floral (area 31 hec/77 acr), a botanic garden with magnificent displays of flowers and rare plants. It was originally laid out for the 1969 Flower Show by D. Collin, and is still used for flower shows and art exhibitions. Also in the park are an "exotarium" (exotic fishes and reptiles), a sculpture garden, a lake, a children's playground and a restaurant.

Visitors to Paris interested in landscape architecture will want to see the Ecole d'Horticulture du Breuil, at the southeast corner of the Bois de Vincennes (Route de la Pyramide). To the north is the Jardin Tropical (45 bis Avenue de la Belle- Gabrielle). Close to this is the Lac des Minimes (boat hire, cafe-restaurant).

The two Pavillons Royaux, the Pavillon du Roi and the Pavillon de la Reine at Vincennes, were built by Louis Le Vau (1654-61). The Pavillon de la Reine was the residence of Anne of Austria, mother of Louis XIV. Cardinal Mazarin died in the Pavillon du Roi on March 9 1661.

There is a footpath round the Lac Daumesnil in the Vincennes Woods, and a bridge gives access to the little islands in the lake (cafe-restaurant). Rowing boats can be hired, as can bicycles.