Reopening of the main entrance on Avenue de Paris

The château de Vincennes is the most visited monument in the Val-de-Marne, with 145,000 visitors. In 2024, two major events organised by the City of Vincennes, in conjunction with the Centre des monuments nationaux and the Service historique de la Défense, have reaffirmed the monument's tourist and cultural potential: the 2024 Olympic Games Club and Château de lumières.

With the aim of further enhancing the heritage and cultural appeal of this exceptional site, more than €40 million have been invested in various restoration works on the surrounding areas. These included redesigned pedestrian pathways accessible to people with reduced mobility and to strollers, the replanting of 45 trees, and improvements to soil quality and permeability.

The project, carried out by OPPIC on behalf of the Ministry of the Armed Forces and overseen by Christophe Baltard, Chief Architect of Historic Monuments, initially focused on tree replanting. In total, 45 new trees were planted, resulting in a net gain of 27 trees. Eighteen trees could not be preserved, either because they were diseased or because their root systems posed a threat to the counterscarp walls or underground utilities.

The newly planted species (9 Hungarian oaks and 36 Damascus plum trees) were selected for their strong adaptability to climate change. Improvements to soil quality and permeability will ensure a longer lifespan for the trees. The project also provides increased shade, which had previously been insufficient and unevenly distributed. The glacis—defensive earthworks made of gravel embankments dating from the 19th century—were levelled to improve visibility of the Château. Pathways, which had been difficult to use for walkers and inaccessible to people with reduced mobility and to strollers, were redesigned to correct planning errors made in the 1930s with the arrival of the metro. These two developments respect the history of the Château while meeting contemporary needs in 2025.