Vincennes is a commune of the Val-de-Marne
located in the eastern suburbs of Paris
, France
.
This
Francilienne
town is located . (4.2 miles) from the
centre of Paris. It is one of the
most densely populated municipalities in
Europe.
History
The
Marquis de Sade was imprisoned in
Vincennes fortress in 1777, where he remained (mainly: he escaped
for a little over a month in 1778), until February 1784, when
Vincennes fortress was closed and de Sade was transferred to the
Bastille
.
In 1929,
the commune of Vincennes lost about half of its territory when the
city of Paris annexed the Bois de Vincennes
, a large part of which belonged to the commune of
Vincennes.
Vincennes was also the site of famous European colonial expositions
in the 20th century. Fairs were held showcasing artifacts from
colonies of France, England, Italy, etc.
Sights
The city
is famous for its castle, the Château de Vincennes
, and its park, the Bois de Vincennes hosting one of the biggest zoos in Paris, Zoo de Vincennes (though these two are now
within the limits of the City of Paris). It also features a
large military
fort, now housing various
army services. This fort and an
adjoining plain known as the "Polygon" has historically been an
important proving ground for French armaments.
Transport
Vincennes
is served by two stations on Paris Métro Line 1: Bérault
and Château de Vincennes
.
Vincennes
is also served by Vincennes
station on Paris RER line
A.
Porcelain
In the old
royal château, a porcelain manufactory was
established in 1740, specializing in imitations of Meissen
porcelain
and naturalistic flowers, which were incorporated into bouquets
under the direction of Parisian marchands-merciers.
The
Vincennes porcelain factory continued until 1756, when the
production was transferred to new buildings at Sèvres, initiating the career of world-famous
Sèvres
porcelain
.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Vincennes is
twinned with:
Images gallery
File:Pano vincennes.JPG|Panoramic view of the
church and City Hall of VincennesFile:Donjon du Château de
Vincennes.jpg|Main tower of the Vincennes medieval castleFile:Bois
de Vincennes - Paris.jpg|The Vincennes Park in autumnFile:Parc
zoologique de Vincennes 20060816 18.jpg|The famous rock of
Vincennes zoo
See also
References
External links