Paris Conciergerie
Located on la Cité, the larger of the Seine river's two islands
in the heart of Paris, Conciergerie was a royal palace in the 14th
century, then - with perfect irony - converted into a prison during
the French Revolution. Thousands of aristocratic victims were held
and tortured there. Marie-Antoinette's cell can be visited, and the
Capelle des Girondins still keeps her crucifix and the guillotine
blade that permanently cured her headache. Picture by Ikuko Koga |