The name of the building, Conciergerie, is related to the French word for a caretaker or door keeper (concierge), now a disappearing profession in Paris. Almost all buildings in the city used to have a lady (usually) living in the ground floor apartment (a few still do) who made sure everyone who entered the building had a right to be there. In this case, there was certainly a need for a door keeper because this became Paris' first and most famous prison.
With its four high pointed towers sitting next to the Seine on the Ile de la Cite, its unenviable reputation is of being the last "residence" for many headed to the guillotine. During the French Revolution, some 2,800 people were dispatched from here. There's a memorial room showing the names of all those condemned to death and when you search, you can find both names of the prison's most famous residents: King Louis XVI (called Capet: last king of France) and his widow (veuve), Marie-Antoinette. A portion of her cell was converted into a chapel dedicated to her memory with silver embroidered tears displayed on the walls. The recreated cell close to the chapel is just that--recreated containing nothing original.
Formerly a royal palace built as a fortress between 1284-1314, the prison looks like a gloomy medieval castle. When the kings moved to the palaces of the Louvre, Vincennes, and others by the end of the 14th century, this part became the Parliament seat along with the prison.The enormous vaulted late-Gothic Salle des Gens d’Armes
(Cavalrymen's Room) in the basement is amazingly well-preserved but there is little to look at beyond appreciating the impressive architecture. It originally served as the Palace refectory (you should see the huge fireplaces) but during the Revolution, it housed the male prisoners, especially the ones who could pay for better "lodging." Prisoners during that time were not here very long; most of them were condemned quickly and then taken to the guillotine.Only a small part of the building is open for tourists because much of it, which sits next to the current Palais de Justice, is still used for the Paris law courts. La Conciergerie served as a prison until 1914.
The corner tower, called the Clock Tower because it housed France’s first public clock, was built in 1370 and is supposedly fully restored. Everything I read 
says it’s still working; but in the last several years, the hands appear in the same place every time I walk by. The other three towers are the Caesar Tower, the Silver Tower (where the royal jewelry may have been kept), and the Bon Bec (medieval slang for tattler) Tower where the confessions were obtained.Yesterday, I took the “Paris Walks” book and combined parts of two walks in my arrondissement, the Marais. One was of the place des Vosges (see 1/28/07 blog) and the neighborhood surrounding it, including the Hotel de Sully. In these parts, the word “hotel” most often refers to a grand private resident—many have been turned into museums, government buildings, offices, etc. and are national historical monuments. Last night, I took another brisk walk around the area—the nights always seem calmer and milder than during the day. Yesterday, 
it was quite windy and my feet got cold so I came home mid-afternoon for lunch. Nine days and counting... Today I'm off to another museum, the Jacquemart-Andre.
it was quite windy and my feet got cold so I came home mid-afternoon for lunch. Nine days and counting... Today I'm off to another museum, the Jacquemart-Andre.
