LH Franz That second night, our internal clocks completely adjusted, both Daughter and I slept more soundly, retiring around midnight and sleeping through until 6AM. Dad was still asleep when we started out. We left a note (which is to say, a Telegram message) informing him we would go to the Conciergerie in the morning and meet him in front of Shakespeare & Co for lunch.
In the sixth century, Paris was a town on the Île de la Cité. A “Concierge” for the town was appointed by the king to perform law enforcement and administrative duties, kind of like the concierge of a hotel, only dealing with criminals instead of paying guests. The Conciergerie was a big, stone fort in the middle of the island to house this office. Over the years, French kings and royalty moved in for the safety it afforded from invaders, and for the convenience it provided as a central location to deal with matters of state. Kings added to it and extended its purview to include the Parliament of Paris. In 1793, it was the logical place for the French Revolution to set up its kangaroo court. From 1793 to 1795, as the tenor of the trials changed from revolutionary law to revolutionary terror, the prison formerly used for common criminals was repurposed during the Reign of Terror for political “trials.”
Spacious vaulted halls and dining areas were built for the large retinue of guards stationed there in earlier times. The kitchen to feed them had huge hearths, one of which now contains benches arranged in front of a large television playing a historical video on a loop. But it was the “Prison sous La Révolution” that was the most fascinating for me. This excellent exhibit takes the visitor through the major stops prisoners made along the way to the guillotine: From the room where the clerk signed prisoners in, to the cells where they were kept, to the “grooming” room where their hair was cut off pre-decapitation. Many informative plaques and interactive displays made this a good educational experience.
There were also some plaques trying very hard to explain the Reign of Terror in some rational way. For me, unconvincingly. I’m always skeptical of people trying to make excuses for doing bad things. They always sound like they’re working with the immature pre-frontal cortex of a teenager. And the Reign of Terror did some extremely bad things indeed. In late 1793, the rebel French government suspended their Constitution, and the euphemistically named Committee of Public Safety blossomed into a vehicle of full blown paranoid tyranny. The explanatory plaques note saving graces of this government, including its policy of “intense social cohesion” with a goal to “reward good citizens and create real solidarity among Republicans.” Echoes of China’s Cultural Revolution. But while the Chinese Red Guard tried to create their social cohesion through public shaming, brainwashing, and torture before resorting to execution, the Committee of Public Safety cut straight to the chase, removing society’s unwanted elements by chopping people’s heads off. Bloodier, but quicker.
After soaking up all this sobering history, Daughter and I sauntered over to 7 Rue de la Bûcherie where we had agreed to meet Dad at Shakespeare & Co for some book-browsing and lunch.
