Ancienne prison de Rambouillet

The place

The old prison of Rambouillet, located in Yvelines, extended a penal function attested in the city since at least the 14th century, originally established near the markets, the church, and the castle. Between 1785 and 1787, following the acquisition of the Rambouillet estate by Louis XVI, a complex combining the bailiwick and prison was built by the architect Jacques-Jean Thévenin. A more modern facility, designed by the departmental architect Albert Petit, succeeded it starting in 1895: it adjoined the new courthouse, with which it communicated directly, on an islet bordered by the current streets of Pasteur, Gambetta, and Maréchal-Foch. The prison closed in 1970 and was demolished shortly thereafter. The land thus freed now houses the Public Finance Centre (Hôtel des Finances), a building currently noted on the location's coordinates.