Tour Denecourt
The Tour Denecourt (Denecourt Tower), previously known as Fort l'Empereur, is an observation tower in the Forest of Fontainebleau, located at 130 meters on the Cassepot hilltop. It provides visitors with a stunning 360-degree view of the forest. Constructed by Claude-François Denecourt, who is known as the "father of hiking" in France, this tower became an essential part of the forest’s tourism.
Denecourt was a former soldier deeply moved by the beauty of Fontainebleau. Beginning in 1842, he marked out trails, called "blue paths," to make the forest accessible and safe for exploration. These paths, with blue arrows for guidance, became the first marked hiking trails worldwide. Denecourt also designed maps and guidebooks to help visitors navigate the forest's scenic spots, which previously were often seen as hostile terrain.
The tower itself was completed in 1853 and opened by Emperor Napoleon III. It quickly became a popular tourist attraction, giving visitors sweeping views of not only the forest but also nearby towns and landmarks. The original tower collapsed in 1878 due to weather damage but was rebuilt by Charles Colinet, a successor of Denecourt, with community funding. Over the years, the Denecourt Tower has been maintained and restored several times to ensure its preservation, including adding orientation tables in 1985 for easier landscape navigation.
Today, the Denecourt Tower is easily accessed after around a twenty minute walk on a sealed road in the forest with the only increase in elevation being at the end. Parking can be found beside the Station D'ecologie Forestière.
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