There is more to Paris than the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre. If you've knocked off all the tourist sites on your list, there are some little known site that you can enjoy without all the crowds. Since we've checked off the main attractions, our site seeing excursions have been off the beaten path. Last weekend, Thomas and I ventured into the 2nd arrondissment to visit the medieval
Tower of Jean sans Peur (John the Fearless).
This is a gem of a monument. There are banners in each room explaining the history of the building and its inhabitants, as well as describing quotidian life. The banners are in French, but the front desk has a book with English translations. Reading about past in the place where it transpired animates this bygone era. Stepping into this well maintained, medieval tower is like walking into history. As you walk up the steep, spiral, stone stair case, you imagine knights and ladies rushing up and down the stairs. You forget about modern Paris outside the fortress walls, and easily imagine yourself in the Paris of 15th century with Jean sans Peur walking through the corridors.
Jean sans Peur, also known as the Duke of Burgundy, played a major, if not infamous, role in French history. He was somewhat responsible for inciting the civil war that erupted between the Armagnacs and Burgundians, assassinated a rival to the throne, and was killed himself by the future king of France. With words such as notorious, murder, tyranny associated with the times and his existence, this monument is worth a visit to get a glimpse of the intrigue and strategy of the power play among the rulers of France.
John the Fearless built the tower as a symbol of his power as well as a defensive structure. Today, the tower serves as the context for a museum providing the history and background of both the building as well as its famous inhabitant. The spiral staircase leads to rooms where you can read about life in medieval France as well as the conflicts that involved the duke. This tower serves as another reminder to tourist that Paris has a long history the remnants of which you can still find well preserved throughout the city
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| Jean sans Peur added this tower to the existing structure as a symbol of his power. |
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| Symbol of power and longevity. |
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| Coat of arms of Jean sans Peur. |
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| Up four flights of stairs is the attic with beams held together by mortise and tenons secured by large wooden pegs. |