Étampes

South of Paris, Étampes grew around a royal residence and the fortress whose surviving keep is known as the Tour de Guinette. Its distinctive four-lobed outline rises above the town and recalls the power of the Capetian kings in the region. During the Fronde, Étampes became a battleground: in 1652 royal troops besieged forces of the Prince of Condé in the town, leaving it badly damaged.