The old castle of Meudon was rebuilt in Renaissance style in the mid-sixteenth century. It was bought by Louis XIV as a residence for Louis, "le Grand Dauphin", under whom Meudon became a center of aristocratic life. After the death of "le Grand Dauphin" in 1711 the château was neglected, emptied in the Revolutionary sales, and finally burned at the close of the Franco-Prussian War, 1871, while it was occupied by Prussian soldiers. A branch of the Paris Observatory was founded in 1877 on the ruins. The Meudon town hall is about in altitude above that of Paris and the climb from there to the observatory offers some rewarding views of Paris.