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Vincennes is a commune of the Val-de-Marne located in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. This ''Francilienne'' town is located 6.7 km mi abbr=on. (4.2 miles) from the centre of Paris. It is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Europe.

History

The Marquis de Sade was imprisoned in Vincennes fortress in 1777, where he remained (mainly: he escaped for a little over a month in 1778), until February 1784, when Vincennes fortress was closed and de Sade was transferred to the Bastille.

In 1929, the commune of Vincennes lost about half of its territory when the city of Paris annexed the Bois de Vincennes, a large part of which belonged to the commune of Vincennes.

Sights

The city is famous for its castle, the Château de Vincennes, and its park, the Bois de Vincennes hosting one of the biggest zoos in Paris, Zoo de Vincennes (though these two are now within the limits of the City of Paris). It also features a large military fort, now housing various army services. This fort and an adjoining plain known as the ''Polygon'' has historically been an important proving ground for French armaments.

Transport

Vincennes is served by two stations on Paris Métro Line 1: Bérault and Château de Vincennes.

Vincennes is also served by Vincennes station on Paris RER line A.

Porcelain

In the old royal château, a porcelain manufactory was established in 1740, specializing in imitations of Meissen porcelain and naturalistic flowers, which were incorporated into bouquets under the direction of Parisian ''marchands-merciers''. The Vincennes porcelain factory continued until 1756, when the production was transferred to new buildings at Sèvres, initiating the career of world-famous Sèvres porcelain.

Miscellaneous

Twin towns

Vincennes is twinned with: