Place du Châtelet

Place du Châtelet stands on land that held a notorious medieval fortress called the Grand Châtelet. Starting in the ninth century, this site was a heavily fortified defensive gate guarding the river crossing at the Pont au Change. By the twelfth century, the fortress had transformed into the seat of the provost of Paris, serving as the city’s primary police headquarters, criminal court, and a dungeon known for its brutal reputation. The location was so synonymous with filth and fear that its demolition was debated for decades before finally being cleared away by Napoleon at the turn of the nineteenth century to scrub the area of its grim history.