Route: from the Château de Vincennes to the banks of the Marne at Maisons-Alfort

Cette statue de Saint Louis, réalisée par Adolphe Mony en 1906, a été offerte à Vincennes par la ville de Paris en 1971 à l'occasion des 700 ans du retour des cendres de Louis IX.L'œuvre de Mony provient de l'église de Saint-Louis-en-l'Île à Paris, où elle avait été installé en 1906 à l'occasion de la translation du crâne de Saint Louis à la Sainte Chapelle. À Vincennes elle est venu occuper un socle laissé vide par la destruction en 1942 d'une statue représentant un torrent, réalisée par Louis Auguste Bertrand.

En face du château de Vincennes se dresse le quartier Carnot, un site historique dont l'origine remonte à un échange de terrains important survenu en 1889 entre l'armée et la ville de Paris.Souhaitant conserver les monuments de l’Exposition Universelle, la capitale reçut le Champ de Mars en échange de cette parcelle située dans l’axe du château et de la perspective de l’Allée Royale. Édifié en 1892, ce quartier de cavalerie vint alors compléter le pôle militaire existant de la Cartoucherie et du Polygone, faisant de Vincennes une importante garnison jusqu’en 1939. Parmi les unités marquantes de son histoire figure le 23e régiment des dragons, une ancienne unité de cavalerie fondée en 1670 et dissoute en 1928, qui s'y installa en 1914. Après avoir servi de dépôt pour les véhicules de l’Armée américaine en 1945, le quartier Carnot s’est tourné vers une nouvelle vocation équestre en accueillant, à partir de 1973, les chevaux de la Garde Républicaine. Cet illustre corps de gendarmerie trouve ses racines dans l'ancien guet militaire chargé de protéger la cité, devenu la Garde de Paris au XVIIIe siècle. Héritière des forces ayant assuré la sécurité des institutions et de la population, la Garde Républicaine se compose aujourd'hui de deux régiments d’infanterie, d’un régiment de cavalerie, d’un état-major et de formations musicales. Le quartier Carnot occupe une place centrale dans cette organisation puisque deux des trois escadrons de cavalerie du régiment y sont basés, le premier se trouvant quant à lui à la caserne des Célestins à Paris.

On se trouve ici derrière le Château de Vincennes, un site dont l'histoire royale commence dès la fin du XIIe siècle, lorsque sa proximité avec la capitale pousse les souverains comme Philippe Auguste ou Louis XI à y établir un manoir de plaisance.Mais c’est la fureur de la guerre de Cent Ans et le traumatisme d'une révolte populaire à Paris en 1358 qui vont radicalement changer son destin. Profondément marqué par l'attaque de son palais par le prévôt Étienne Marcel, le dauphin — futur Charles V — décide de transformer ce domaine en une forteresse imprenable. En 1361, il lance la construction d'une tour principale, achevée en à peine dix ans : un véritable record pour l'époque, destiné à affirmer son pouvoir absolu. Le château devient alors un incroyable lieu de sûreté et un nouveau centre décisionnel. Depuis cette vaste esplanade, le regard embrasse toute l'ampleur de ce projet avec son mur d’enceinte de plus d’un kilomètre, qui protégeait autrefois une véritable ville médiévale. Les douves qui entourent le monument, aujourd'hui sèches, étaient alors remplies d'eau provenant de Montreuil. Face à vous, du côté de la forêt, se dresse la Tour du Bois. À l'origine, tout comme les autres tours de l’enceinte qui s’élevaient à environ 40 mètres de haut, elle assurait la défense du site tout en abritant des espaces résidentiels dotés de cheminées, de latrines et de décors sculptés pour les proches du roi. Au XVIIe siècle, l’architecte Louis Le Vau la transforme en arc de triomphe pour Louis XIV, avec une entrée en arcade, deux piliers et un attique. Ce symbole politique devient alors l’entrée principale du château, supplantant la Tour du Village pour permettre au roi et à sa cour d’accéder directement, depuis l’esplanade, aux pavillons royaux édifiés dans la partie méridionale du domaine. Laissé ensuite à l'abandon, le château est promis à la démolition à la fin du XVIIIe siècle et ne doit sa survie qu’à la vocation militaire qui lui est alors attribuée. C'est dans ce contexte que Napoléon Ier décide de faire raser les tours de l'enceinte pour y installer des pièces d'artillerie. Seules deux d'entre elles échappent à la destruction : la Tour du Bois, ainsi modifiée par l'architecte Le Vau, et la Tour du Village, la mieux conservée, qui retrouvera au XIXe siècle son rôle d'entrée principale. Dans le cadre de la militarisation du Château et de ses environs, l'actuelle esplanade fut longtemps occupé par un ensemble de murs fortifiés et de casemates.

N'hésitez pas à gravir la butte aux canons en suivant le chemin aménagé avec une rampe. Vous profiterez d'un très beau panorama sur le bois et les villes proches (Vincennes, Montreuil, Bagnolet...).À la fin du 18e siècle, un premier Polygone d’artillerie est aménagé en plein cœur du bois et entraînant une déforestation importante. Le bois de Vincennes devient alors un lieu où les artilleurs s’exercent à construire des batteries, à manœuvrer et à tirer aux canons. Plusieurs buttes aux canons avaient été aménagées dans cette partie du bois qui servaient alors de points de mire aux artilleurs.

Currently part of the Paris-Est Val de Marne Hospitals, the former Imperial, and later National, Convalescent Home stands as a symbol of the thinking around the design of healthcare institutions in the second half of the 19th century.The construction of the Imperial Convalescent Home of Saint-Maurice was initiated by Napoleon III in response to a longstanding concern: caring for the sick or injured who had recovered enough to leave the hospital, yet were still unable to support themselves. Various attempts to establish such a facility around Paris had been made since the 17th century. Under the Second Empire, the rapid growth of the Parisian population and the scale of construction work in the capital—along with the resulting number of workplace accidents among construction workers—made the issue even more pressing. Napoleon thus decided to create a convalescent home. Just over 16 hectares were allocated from the Bois de Vincennes, which at the time belonged to the crown estate. The term asile (asylum) was chosen to designate the new institution—a word which, at that time, was not associated with psychiatry or even strictly with the medical world. Construction took place between 1855 and 1857. Around a central courtyard, architect Laval designed a facility that was neither a hospice nor a prison, with a strong emphasis on hygiene and the comfort of its residents: all rooms faced south, and unlike the standard hospital practice of the time, no large dormitories were built. The site itself was chosen for its healthful qualities: located on the edge of the Bois de Vincennes, in a largely rural commune, on an elevated plateau that ensured good air circulation. To preserve this environment, any type of construction that might disturb the residents was prohibited in the surrounding area. The “treatment” consisted mainly of rest in the open air, far from the city, combined with a healthy and plentiful diet. Verlaine, who stayed there three times, particularly praised the quality of the desserts. Renamed the National Convalescent Home of Saint-Maurice in 1900, the institution gradually developed a specialization in rehabilitative care. After an initial merger with the nearby Esquirol Hospital, it is now part of the Paris-Est Val de Marne Hospitals, following its integration with the Les Murets Hospital Center in La Queue-en-Brie.

Built in 1924 in a Romano-Byzantine style, the Church of Saint-André stands as both a testament to the development of the Plateau neighborhood in which it is located, and a poignant reminder of the First World War.Until its construction, the town had only the Church of Saint-Maurice, located on the Grande Rue at the foot of the slope leading up to the Bois de Vincennes. However, as the town expanded over the course of the 19th century, this old place of worship proved too small and too far from the newly built homes. In 1912, Abbé Bressange, parish priest of Saint-Maurice, noted that residents of the Plateau had taken to attending services in the church of Charenton-le-Pont, but appeared willing to help finance a new building. It was ultimately in the aftermath of the First World War that the current sanctuary was erected. Mr. André Lemoine, who had served as the parish organist for forty years, and his wife, donated the land and financed the construction to honor the memory of their son, who was killed in action on December 17, 1914, at the age of 28. He is buried in a vault beneath the altar, later joined by the remains of his parents. Designed by architect Jacquemin, the church was built in just one year using a concrete structure clad in brick, in a style combining Romanesque and Byzantine influences, which was common in churches built during the interwar period. The bell tower, however, was not completed until 1931. In the years that followed, other families connected to Saint-Maurice donated stained glass windows commemorating the deaths of their loved ones, further strengthening the bond between the church and the memory of the Great War.

A plaque in Saint-Maurice marks the site of the Charenton Temple, which was built following the proclamation of the Edict of Nantes in 1598 and whose construction began in 1607.The Edict of Nantes granted freedom of worship but prohibited the construction of Protestant temples within five leagues (just over 15 kilometers) of a bishop’s seat. As a result, the first places of worship for Parisian Protestants were established in Grigny, and later in Ablon. However, the distance proved burdensome, prompting numerous complaints from the Reformed community. In response, Henry IV authorized the construction of a temple on the territory of what is now the commune of Saint-Maurice, then part of the parish of Charenton-Saint-Maurice. The first building was designed by architect Jacques Androuet du Cerceau, but it was ransacked as early as 1615 and then set on fire in 1621. Louis XIII permitted its reconstruction, which was carried out under the direction of Salomon de Brosse, architect of the Luxembourg Palace in Paris. Completed in 1624, it was a particularly large structure, capable of accommodating up to 4,000 worshippers. The Charenton Temple was ultimately destroyed in 1685, in just five days, following the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. In 1700, the land was sold to the Benedictine nuns of the Val d’Osne, who established a convent there. Though the convent was dismantled during the French Revolution, its memory endures in the name of the street that now leads from the Plateau district to the Marne River. Two hundred years later, in 1890, a new temple was built in the nearby commune of Charenton-le-Pont.

A major figure of Romanticism, Eugène Delacroix was born in Saint-Maurice on April 26, 1798, in the bourgeois house his family then occupied.Delacroix spent his first two years there, until his father was appointed prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône and the family moved to Marseille in 1800. Later, the house was notably occupied by Edmond Nocard (1850–1903), professor and then director of the Alfort Veterinary School. From 1880 onward, Nocard was a key collaborator of Louis Pasteur, who first recruited him to assist in his work on anthrax. They then created a joint laboratory, where Nocard developed new techniques to combat tuberculosis and tetanus. He died in 1903 at his home in Saint-Maurice and is buried in the local cemetery. Abandoned in the mid-20th century, the house was threatened with demolition before being classified as a Historic Monument in 1973. It was eventually restored by the city to house the municipal library. The new media library was inaugurated on December 12, 1988, and underwent further renovation in 2016.

Although the current Charenton Bridge dates only from 1974, it marks the site of a crossing over the Marne River that has held major economic and strategic importance since Antiquity.Caesar, in the Gallic Wars, already mentions the crossing by his lieutenant Labienus at this spot, as he prepared to attack the Parisians with four legions, crossing the Marne thanks to its many islands. The existence of a wooden bridge is first recorded in the 7th century. Carried away by storms and damaged by wars, it was rebuilt many times—first in wood, then in stone, and later in concrete. At one time fortified, its towers were destroyed by Henry IV. In 1664, d’Artagnan passed over it, escorting Nicolas Fouquet as a prisoner to Paris. On March 3, 1814, students from the Alfort Veterinary School resisted the coalition armies there. Like many bridges, it also supported mills, the last of which disappeared in 1811. The bridge’s significance contributed to the gradual formation of the present-day communes of Charenton, Saint-Maurice, and Maisons-Alfort. From the bridge, you can reach the right bank of the Marne by following the path alongside departmental road 6, either upstream or downstream.

The current Quai Fernand-Saguet follows the route of the old Alfort towpath. Long dominated by automobile traffic, the first section of the quay was redesigned as a landscaped promenade between 1994 and 2000 by the landscape architect Jacques Coulon.Opening onto the Marne, the towpath quay became, at the end of the 19th century, a leisure destination for Parisians arriving from boats operated by the Compagnie des Bateaux-Express. Continuing from the Bercy warehouses, it also developed into a site of significant industrial activity, notably related to the alcohol trade. One of the most important establishments was the Suze distillery, located at number 10 Quai d’Alfort from 1875. Once you reach the banks of the Marne, you have two options. If you want to take a break from your walk, you can take Rue Nordling to find public transport at the Maisons-Alfort Ecole Vétérinaire stop. Alternatively, you can also continue along the Marne by following the Promenade Paul-Cézanne, which starts at the foot of the Charenton Bridge and extends to Joinville and Créteil. Enjoy the discovery!