Historic sites

Château de Villers-Cotterêts

France Aisne Villers-Cotterêts

Château de Villers-Cotterêts
Photo: FRANQUELIN, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Renaissance château of François I, where in 1539 he signed the ordinance that made French the language of law and government. Restored and reopened in 2023 as the Cité internationale de la langue française, it tells the story of the French language with playful, interactive exhibitions.


The ceiling of the main courtyard is a canopy of floating words. The town is also the birthplace of Alexandre Dumas.

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