ROYAL ESTATE OF VILLERS-COTTERÊTS

Built at the request of François I between 1532 and 1539, this Renaissance castle was one of the sovereign's vacation spots and the one in which the Villers-Cotterêts ordinance was enacted in August 1539. Transformed into a begging depot for the city of Paris by Napoleon I, it became a retirement home in the 20th century. The latter closed in 2014. After pharaonic rehabilitation works, the castle will reopen its doors in the fall of 2022.