Palais de Justice

The Palais de Justice in Île de la Cité in Paris is a courthouse in Paris, located on the Boulevard du Palais on the Île de la Cité.

Palais de Justice history

The courthouse is a vast and majestic gothic structure, the site of which was originally the home of governors of Ancient Rome.

Palais de Justice then became the royal residence of the French monarchy such as Louis IX and remained as such until Charles V moved the royal palaces to Marais in 1358 following the Jacquerie revolt.

As the current seat of the French judicial system, the Palais de Justice serves a function which it has fulfilled in various guises since medieval times. This began in earnest in April 1793, when the civil chamber or “Premier Chambre Civile” of the Palais de Justice became the home of the Revolutionary Tribunal. This was the fearsome court of the French Revolution from which the Reign of Terror was systematically carried out.

Also part of the Palais de Justice is the famous prison known as La Conciergerie and it is next to Sainte Chapelle, which was built by Louis IX.

Palais de Justice today

Today the Palais occupies 4 hectares of land and is spread out over different floors making up almost 200,000m². Inside, there are some 24 kilometres of corridors, 7,000 doors, and more than 3,150 windows.

There are law courts within the Palais as well as many police and other military style officers who guard the whole complex. As of today, the inside of the building is generally not open to the public.

Getting to Palais de Justice

The full address of the Palais de Justice is 4 boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris. The nearest metro station is Cité and buses 21, 27, 38, 85, 96 will all take you to the courthouse. There are multiple car parks nearby.