The Chateau de Vincennes is a former royal fortress and residence on the eastern edge of Paris, built mainly between 1361 and 1369 under King John II and his son Charles V of France as a secure refuge during the Hundred Years War. Its keep rises 52 meters, making it the tallest fortified medieval structure in Europe when completed, and its walls are reinforced with towers surrounding the central donjon. The complex includes the Sainte-Chapelle de Vincennes, a Flamboyant Gothic chapel begun in 1379 but not finished until 1552, along with the seventeenth century Pavilion of the King and Pavilion of the Queen, built in French classical style for later royal use. The keep was reinforced with more than 2.5 kilometers of iron bars, an early use of what amounts to rebar in a medieval building. Most of the fortress is now open to the public as a historical monument and museum.
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