Upcoming 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 this in mind, and with a view to enhancing the heritage and cultural appeal of this exceptional site, over €40 million has been invested in various restoration projects around the site, including redesigned pedestrian walkways accessible to people with reduced mobility and pushchairs, the replanting of 45 trees and improvements to the quality and permeability of the soil.

The project, carried out by OPPIC on behalf of the Ministry of the Armed Forces and supervised by Christophe Baltard (chief architect of the Monuments Historiques), will initially involve replanting trees. A total of 45 new trees will be planted, giving a positive balance of 27 trees. It had not been possible to keep 18 of these trees, either because they were diseased or because their root development was threatening the counterscarp walls or buried networks.

The new species planted (9 Hairy Oak and 36 Damask Plum) were chosen for their ability to adapt to climate change. Improving the quality and permeability of the soil will ensure that they last longer. The project will also provide more shade, which until now has been lacking and poorly distributed. The glacis, a 19^th century defensive structure made of stony embankments, will be levelled to give the Château better visibility. The walkways, which are not very accessible to walkers and are currently inaccessible to people with reduced mobility and pushchairs, will be redesigned to correct the mistakes made in the 1930s when the metro arrived. These two changes will respect the history of the Château while meeting the needs of 2025.

Until the full reopening of the Tour du village entrance on December 16, pedestrians and vehicles must use the Tour des salves, located on the Cour des Maréchaux (entrance near the Sainte-Chapelle). Temporary signage has been installed to guide visitors and help them find their way.