La Conciergerie - Paris, France
Posted by: neoc1
N 48° 51.370 E 002° 20.781
31U E 452053 N 5411672
La Conciergerie is located on the Quai de l'Horloge on Île de la Cité near the Pont au Change in Paris.
Waymark Code: WMV8XQ
Location: Île-de-France, France
Date Posted: 03/16/2017
Views: 28
The site of the present La Conciergerie was the Palace of French Kings from the 10th century until they moved to the Louvre in 1358. The Conciergerie became a prison in 1391 and played a significant and dramatic role during the 1789 French Revolution. Around 2,780 prisoners, including Marie-Antoinette, were held here before being taken from La Conciergerie to be executed on the guillotine at a number of locations around Paris. After the Revolution La Conciergerie continued to be used for important prisoners, notably Napoleon III. Today, it is part of the larger complex known as the Palais de Justice, which is still used for judicial purposes.
The Gothic-style La Conciergerie includes the remains of the oldest royal palace in Paris and was first constructed at the start of the 14th century. Located on an island in the middle of the River Seine, the location was chosen by King Philippe IV, known as Philippe The Fair, in the early 14th Century as the place where he would build a palace to symbolise his power. A few remnants of the Conciergerie remain from the Middle Ages. The Silver Tower, which supposedly housed the royal treasury; the Caesar Tower, named for the Roman emperors; and the Bonbec Tower, which housed a torture chamber.
Visit Instructions:
Please provide another photo of the location. You don't have to be in there shot, but you can. The photo requirement is to discourage any armchair visiting.