The Cité internationale de la langue française

The headquarters of the Alliance for Language Technologies (ALT-EDIC) are located in the premises of the Cité Internationale de la langue française, in the historic site of the Château de Villers-Cotterêts.

Castle Villiers-cotterets

Inaugurated on the 30th of October 2023 by the President of the French Republic, the Cité is a cultural and living centre dedicated to the French language, with ambitions for research and innovation and a rich programme of activities. It is located in the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, a historic monument closely linked to the history of the French language and recently renovated by the Centre des monuments nationaux. Located in the Forest of Retz, in the Aisne region of Hauts-de-France, it is just an hour away from Paris by public transports.

A masterpiece of Renaissance architecture, the château has been favoured by the kings of France ever since it was built in the sixteenth century by François 1er. It was there that he signed in August 1539 the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, which imposed the use of French in all legal and administrative acts in the kingdom. Today, it is the oldest legal text still in use in France.