Tour de Montlhéry

Montlhéry

At the beginning of the 11th century, Thibaud, lord of Montlhéry and keeper of the waters and forests of King Robert II, raised a first castle on this hillock commanding the road from Paris to Orléans. His descendants, turbulent lords, held merchants and pilgrims to ransom, to the point that the Capetian crown finally seized the stronghold. Philip Augustus rebuilt the castle around 1200; in 1382, Olivier de Clisson, Constable of France, raised the keep by four storeys. On 16 July 1465, the neighbouring plain saw Louis XI clash with the League of the Public Weal led by Charles the Bold: the bloody and indecisive Battle of Montlhéry entered the chronicles. Ruined by the Wars of Religion, the castle was dismantled in 1591 with the consent of Henri IV, at the request of the inhabitants; only the tower remains. It still serves science: in 1822, François Arago conducted here, between the tower and Villejuif, experiments that improved the measurement of the speed of sound in air. The silhouette of the "Tour de Montlhéry", fed by tales of medieval brigandage and supposed underground passages, remains one of the legendary landmarks of the Hurepoix.

Getting there : Allée de la Tour, Montlhéry; climb on foot from the town centre, seasonal opening (information: heritage department of the town hall)

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound