Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a city near Paris known mainly from the castle located here, which houses the National Archaeological Museum. In history, the city was recorded as a place of peace between Austria and the Entente after World War I.
The city was founded in the early 11th century, and 100 years later the first castle was built here. It was to protect Paris from the west and occupied an important place on the strategic maps of France at that time. During the time of Francis I, the castle was transformed into a Renaissance residence, which was thoroughly renovated in the 19th century during the time of Napoleon III.
Today, Saint-Germain-en-Laye Castle is one of the most important attractions in the Paris area. It is surrounded by extensive gardens, and the interior is occupied by the National Archaeological Museum. They are one of the largest European collections on prehistory, antiquity and early Middle Ages.
In the vicinity of the castle is the Saint Germain neoclassical Catholic Church. It was built during the reconstruction of the palace in the nineteenth century. The city's attraction is also the birthplace of Claude-Debussy. The seventeenth-century tenement house in which the composer was born now houses his small museum.
