Europe’s largest medieval fortress, Carcassonne is a highlight of any visit to France. The massive protecting walls of Carcassonne were first raised by the Romans in the 1st century B.C. Though never conquered in battle, the mighty city was lost to nature’s weathering elements and has since been restored so that it looks as it did when constructed centuries ago. Carcassone was ruled by the Trencaval family, early in the thirteenth century, the city was conquered by northern French forces.
The famous walls of the Old City contain survivals from all these periods. During the French royal domain, between 1228 and 1239, the castle was completely redesigned to become a fortress within the city.
The walled town of Carcassone is roughly rectangular in shape, up to 525 meters long and 250 m wide. It is surrounded by its medieval double enclosure wall; the inner curtain is 1245 m in length, with 29 towers, while the outer has 18 towers and is 1320 m long.
The castle consists of two bodies in a building dominated by L and a watchtower, the tower Pinte. In the northern area is a chapel dedicated to Mary, which notes the apse of the Romanesque period.
With a stone wall in the form of a double ring, and 53 towers, the old city, stands to the west of the River Aude. On the other side, below, stands the new city, the Bastida, trace straight. In the old citadel, now live a hundred people.
The newer part (Ville Basse) of the city on the other side of the Aude river manufactures shoes, rubber and textiles. A major part of its income, however, comes from the tourism connected to the fortifications (Cité) and from boat cruising on the Canal du Midi.
Some visitors describe it as a tourist-trap, and there are a bit too many shops hawking tacky souvenirs, but it is still and enchanting and interesting place to visit. The walls were restored by the Franck architect Viollet-le-Duc in the mid-nineteenth century. Carcassonne receives about three million visitors annually.
Photo source
I. C.
