Reopening of Guinette Tower, Étampes’ royal keep, following security works
Étampes: Guinette Tower reopens after eight years of closure
Closed since 2018 for safety reasons, the 12th-century royal keep reopened on 19 September 2026: Renaissance brass, historical fencing and theatre marked its inauguration, the highlight of Étampes’ Heritage Days.
Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·
Eleven o’clock, this Saturday 19 September 2026: the door of Guinette Tower swings open to visitors once more, eight years after its closure for safety reasons. This 12th-century octagonal keep, the sole surviving remnant of Étampes’ royal castle, stands as the town’s tallest local architectural landmark. Its reopening, orchestrated by the Étampes town council, marks the climax of the European Heritage Days in this Essonne commune.
Guinette Tower is not an isolated monument: it shares with Houdan and Ambleny’s keeps an exceptional rounded architecture for the 12th century, inherited from a generation of military constructions predating the square keeps that later became the norm.
The monument’s reopening is part of a broader heritage gesture by Étampes, which timed this event to coincide with the unveiling of the renovated Hôtel Diane de Poitiers on 18 September.
Practical information
Guinette Tower is located at 1 Promenade de Guinette, Étampes (Essonne). The guided tours offered during Heritage Days complemented a programme of around thirty visits held in the town on 18, 19 and 20 September 2026.
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