Philippe Auguste's Wall, Paris, France
Any remains of the two original walls in Paris have long disappeared. The first wall was built in the 3rd century to protect the Ile de la Cité from barbarian invasions. A second wall was built in the 9th century.
By the end of the 12th century, Paris had grown out of its original walls and King Philippe II Auguste was in a conflict with the Anglo-Norman House of Plantagenet. To protect the city from English attacks the king ordered a new wall to be built. This wall had 17 semi-cylindrical towers and four fortified towers on both banks of the river Seine. To consolidate the west side a fortress was also built- the Louvre. The right bank was fortified before the left bank, probably for strategic reasons, as the left bank was less urbanised and less threatened.
Outside the Louvre, the main remnants of this fortress can be found in Saint Paul's Gardens.
Opening hours: Wed.-Mon., 11am-7pm (Saint Paul's Gardens)
Comments
Post a Comment