Fifty miles northeast of Paris sits a ruined château that Emmanuel Macron hopes can catalyze an era of fresh glory for France. Built over the course of the 16th century, the Château de Villers-Cotterêts served two centuries of French kings before gradually falling into disrepair. During the 19th century it was repurposed as a dépôt de mendicité, a hybrid hospice-prison for the destitute, while in more recent decades it became a retirement home. The last residents left in 2014, after which the building was abandoned in a state of damp decay.
In 2018 Macron, newly elected as France’s president, announced plans to restore the château and turn it into an international center for the French language. The French government has set aside 210 million euros for the project, with the château due to reopen in 2022. Work toward this goal has continued through 2020, and archaeological excavations, cleaning, and decontamination operations are now said to be well under way.
