The Conciergerie

Listed as a historic monument in 1914, the Conciergerie was built on a Gallo-Roman oppidum and served as the residence and seat of power of the kings of France from the 10th to the 14th century. Charles V eventually abandoned the palace, though it remained the seat of royal justice. Of the medieval building, three towers survive to this day: the Tour César — named in honour of the Roman emperor —, the Tour Bonbec, known as the torture chamber, and the Tour d'Argent, so called for its role as a storehouse for the royal treasury.

The Conciergerie is perhaps best known in the popular imagination as the place where the Revolutionary Tribunal was established from 1793, during the Reign of Terror. Considered the antechamber of death, very few left its walls as free men. The treatment of prisoners depended entirely on their wealth and social standing.

You will walk with your guide through the medieval halls and revolutionary rooms, reliving the defining moments of the French Revolution. You will also visit the reconstruction of the cell of one of the Conciergerie's most famous prisoners: Queen Marie Antoinette. Among the other illustrious detainees were Charlotte Corday, the Comtesse du Barry, Danton and Robespierre.