Conciergerie
The Conciergerie stands on the Île de la Cité in Paris as a medieval remnant of the Palais de la Cité. Its halls carry the story of a royal palace, courthouse, and prison within one historic building.
The site began as a fortress in Gallo-Roman Lutetia, then grew after Clovis made the island his capital in the sixth century. From the eleventh to the fourteenth century, the palace expanded into an administrative centre, while Philip II placed the royal archives there and appointed a concierge to oversee it. During the French Revolution, 2,780 prisoners passed through its cells, including Marie Antoinette, and the Revolutionary Tribunal sent many to the guillotine.
Today, the national monument preserves medieval halls alongside the memory of unequal prison conditions. Wealthy prisoners could pay for better rooms, while poorer inmates endured harsher confinement.
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Image: Unknown authorUnknown authorPublic domain 
Image: Georges CainPublic domain 
Image: Jacques Ier Androuet du Cerceau (≈1515 - 1585)Public domain 
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