The castle was built on the Laye plateau in the middle of the forest and was one of Saint Louis’ favourite residences who added a chapel and a protective wall. However, the soldiers of the King of England’s son set fire to the castle in the mid 15th century.Charles V built a new castle on the foundations where François I then Henri II built another castle.In 1682, abandoned by Louis XIV, it was home to James II of England prior to becoming a prison, a hospital, a cavalry school, barracks and a penitentiary.In 1862, Napoleon III asked Eugène Millet, the student of Viollet-le-Duc to restore the castle for it to become the ‘museum of Celtic and Gallo-Roman antiquities’.Many archaeologists, including the abbé Brueil, Louis Capitain or even Joseph Déchelette then tried to contribute to the museum collection with their discoveries, making this a unique place in constant development.
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