University of Virginia Library

18. Vincennes.

Parc de Vincennes. Canal Saint Maur. Charenton.

Omnibus to Vincennes in 25—30 min. every hour from the Bastille
(Boulevard Beaumarchais 10) and the Porte St. Martin. Railway, Place
de la Bastille, to the station of which a special omnibus runs from the
Place de la Bourse. To obtain access to the château of Vincennes, permission
must be procured from the commanding artillery officer, to whom
a written request[3] should be addressed, furnished with a postage
stamp of 10 c.

For ordinary visitors, however, the château contains few objects of
interest, with the exception of the view from the "donjon" and the monument
of the Duc d'Enghien.

The Barrière du Trône, to which the new Boulevard du Prince
Eugène leads in a straight direction from the Boulevard du Temple,
forms the E. extremity of Paris, distant about 6 M. from the

Arc de l'Etoile, the W. extremity of the city. On a throne erected
here, Aug. 26th, 1660, Louis XIV. received the homage of the
city of Paris, on the conclusion of the peace of the Pyrenees, whence
the present appellation of the barrier.

The two lofty, fluted Doric Columns of the Barrière du Trône
were commenced in 1788, but not completed till 1847. Each
column is adorned with two reliefs by Desbœufs and Simart,
those towards the city emblematic of Commerce and Industry,
the others of Victory and Peace. The summits of the columns
are occupied by statues in bronze of St. Louis, by Etex, and
Philip Augustus, by Dumont.

The château of Vincennes, founded in the 12th cent., was in
course of time fitted up as a royal residence. In 1740, under
Louis XV., it was converted into a manufactory of porcelain
(removed 10 years later to Sèvres), and subsequently into a
weapon manufactory. In 1832—44, under Louis Philippe, the
château was strongly fortified and furnished with extensive depôts
for the especial use of artillery. Vincennes is also the
seat of the École de tir, where a number of officers from every
regiment are instructed in the use of the newest fire-arms, and
whence most of the recent improvements in this department have
emanated.

In former ages the château was long employed as a State-prison.
Out of a long list of illustrious persons confined within
its walls, may be mentioned: the king of Navarre (1574),
Condé (1617), Mirabeau (1777), the Duc d'Enghien (1804),
the ministers of Charles X. (1830) and the conspirators against
the National Assembly, Raspail, Barbès, Blanqui, Courtais etc.
(May 15th, 1848).

A melancholy interest attaches to the fortress from its having
been the scene of the execution of the unfortunate Duc d'Enghien.
He was arrested by order of Napoleon, March 14th, 1804, in
German territory, whence he was conveyed to Vincennes and
there condemned by a court-martial. The accusation was that
he was privy to the plot formed by Pichegru, Cadoudal and
others against the emperor. The sentence was executed March 20th,
and the body of the ill-fated prince interred in the fosse where
he was shot. In 1816 Louis XVIII. caused the duke's remains
to be disinterred and removed to the chapel, were he erected
a monument to his memory.

The Chapel, with its tasteful Gothic front, was commenced in
1248 and completed in 1552. It was employed during the revolution
as a magazine, but was restored to its sacred use in 1842.
The interior, which consists of a single nave, is remarkable for
the elegance of its proportions and several fine stained glass
windows, one of which contains a portrait of Diane de Poitiers,
the favourite of Henry II. The monument of the Duc d'Enghien,

in the old sacristy, by Deseine, consists of four figures in marble,
the duke supported by Religion, France bewailing his loss and
a figure emblematic of Vengeance.

The Salle d'Armes or armoury is said to contain a store of
weapons sufficient for the complete equipment of 120,000 men.

The platform of the Donjon, a massive square tower with four
smaller towers at its angles, commands a fine prospect. The
walls of this structure are 17 ft. in thickness, and its five lofty
stories, each consisting of one spacious apartment with four
smaller rooms in the corner towers, were formerly employed for
the reception of the state-prisoners.

The Bois de Vincennes, an ancient forest and, as early as
the time of St. Louis (d. 1270), a favourite chasse of the French
monarchs, was in 1731 entirely replanted by order of Louis XV.
In more modern times considerable encroachments on it have
been made by railway and military works, and it has recently
been laid out as a park in the same style as the Bois de Boulogne.

The road from Paris to the wood passes by the château. At
the extremity of the new line of forts the road to the r. leading
to Joinville-le-Pont must be taken, from which a short distance
farther the road to Nogent diverges. Both of these roads lead
to the artificial Lac des Minimes (1¼ M. from the castle) with its
three islands, on the smallest of which, the Ile de la Porte-Jaune,
connected with the mainland by a bridge, a restaurant will be
found. From the meadow to the W. of the lake a view of the
Exercising-ground with an Obelisk erected by Louis XV. and the
Polygone is obtained. The Cascade which supplies the lake is
formed by the Ruisseau de Nogent and the Ruisseau des Minimes;
the latter, running towards the S., traverses one of the
most picturesque portions of the wood. In the vicinity of its
source, near the Redoute de la Faisanderie, is situated the plain
of the Camp of St. Maur.

Towards the E. the road from Joinville to Nogent leads to the
Rond de Beauté, so called on account of the beautiful view it
affords of the valley of the Marne. Towards the S. the military
road passes behind the redoubts "de la Faisanderie" and "de
Gravelle", and the imperial model Ferme Napoléon, where a glass
of excellent milk may be procured. About 100 paces to the W.
of the Redoute de Gravelle is situated the Lac de Gravelle. The
Ront-Point de Gravelle commands a charming survey of the Marne
and Seine.

The Lac de Gravelle is connected with the Lac de St. Mandé
by the Ruisseau de St. Mandé, following the course of which the
stranger passes the Asile Impérial des Invalides Civils (to the l.),
opened in 1857 for the reception of invalid workmen. The hollow
in which the Lac de St. Mandé is situated is the most beautiful
spot in the entire park.

Those whose time is limited will have an opportunity of
seeing a portion of the park, if they avail themselves of one of
the omnibuses which run every hour in an E. direction from Vincennes
to Nogent-sur-Marne and Joinville-le-Pont (in 45 min.).
Nogent-sur-Marne contains several handsome country residences;
the first to the r. on leaving the railway-station belongs to
Marshal Vaillant, formerly minister of war. A railway-bridge of
nearly ½ M. in length here crosses the Marne, belonging to a
branch of the Strasbourg line.

At Joinville-le-Pont issues the Canal de St. Maur, a subterranean
channel 650 yds. in length and furnished with a towing
path, accessible to foot-passengers. By means of this canal, vessels
navigating the Marne effect a saving of nearly 15 M. by avoiding
the long curve which the river here describes.

At the E. extremity a picturesque and verdant valley is entered.
Its aspect is peaceful and sequestered, and affords no indication
of the proximity of the vast city. The name of the village is
Gravelle.

The celebrated lunatic asylum of Charenton lies about 1½ M.
to the W. of this point. It is a spacious edifice, situated on an
eminence, and was newly fitted up in 1847. The number of
patients is about 400, some of whom are received gratuitously
by permission of the Minister of the Interior, others pay an annual
sum varying from 33 L. to 57 L. according to the accommodation
required. The relations and friends of patients obtain access
on Sundays and Thursdays if provided with a special permission
from the director.

From 1606 to 1685 Charenton was the principal seat of the
French Protestants, who here possessed one of their largest churches
and other public institutions. They were, however, dispersed in
consequence of the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The church
was pulled down, and the stones employed in the construction of
a hospital in Paris.

The omnibuses which run every hour from Charenton-le-Pont
to the Bastille (in 40 min.; fare 30 c.) start from the bridge over
the Marne, about ¾ M. from the asylum.