LA CITÉ MÉDIÉVALE DE CARCASSONNE

The Cité, with its 52 towers and kilometres of ramparts, appears unreal in the Languedoc landscape. An image straight out of a history book! Le Petit Futé can only encourage you to stop off at this historic landmark because what you see from afar is nothing compared to what you'll discover inside... A visit that will open the doors to medieval times, with all their mystery and splendour! This medieval city is exceptional in more ways than one. Covering an area of 11 hectares, it is the largest medieval complex in Europe. Its remarkable state of preservation also makes it unique. With almost 4 million visitors a year, it is one of the most visited monuments in France and, since 1997, has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Passed from hand to hand over the centuries, the medieval city of Carcassonne has a long, rich and complex history. Built on a hill, it lies between two mountain ranges: the Massif Central and the Pyrenees. A fortified village was built on the hill as early as the ^6th century BC. The city's first inhabitants understood the strategic importance of this location: it lies on the axis linking the Mediterranean to the Atlantic Ocean, and the Iberian Peninsula to Northern Europe. For this reason, the city quickly became an essential stopover for travellers and merchants. Then, in the ^1st century BC, the Romans invaded Gaul and Carcassonne, like the rest of the territory, became a Gallo-Roman city. For the next three centuries, peace prevailed in the territories conquered by the Romans, allowing the city to prosper and trade to flourish. However, by the end of the ^3rd century AD, tensions had risen again within Gaul, and the risk of external aggression was increasing. Invaders from the east threatened the city, which was then equipped with gigantic ramparts up to 9 m high and 4 m wide. 38 towers, built every 25 m, reinforced the wall, which enveloped the city for almost 1 km. Unfortunately, these ramparts were not enough to stop attackers: the Visigoths seized Carcassonne in 413 and occupied it for almost three centuries. Then came the Moors and, in 759, the Franks led by Pepin le Bref. Once the barbarians had been driven out, the city became part of the great empire founded by the king of the Franks, Charlemagne. During this period, the city and its fortifications underwent a period of expansion. Charlemagne, who had divided his immense territory into counties, viscounties and duchies, appointed men to represent him in the various regions. On his death, the empire became a jigsaw puzzle of administrative regions ruled by increasingly powerful and independent lords. The Trencavel dynasty took possession of Carcassonne in 1082, and launched a number of construction projects within the city, including the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire. The basilica remained Carcassonne's main religious centre until the ^18th century, and underwent numerous extensions. 1130 saw the construction of the château comtal. The town grew richer, with between 3,000 and 4,000 inhabitants. Carcassonne prospered, but lived under threat, caught in the crossfire between the two powerful surrounding counties of Toulouse and Barcelona. At the same time, Pope Innocent III was concerned by the rise of a new religious movement, Catharism, in the Languedoc region. In 1208, he raised a large army and launched a crusade against the Cathars. The Viscount of Trencavel, accused of heresy, became a target: the crusaders landed in Carcassonne and took the city in a fortnight. The viscount died in prison and the city was offered to the leader of the Crusader army, Simon de Montfort. As his heirs proved incapable of managing the Cité, it was finally attached to the royal domain in 1226. But there were still many threats in the region, one of which came from Raimond Trencavel, who laid claim to the land he considered his heir. Danger also comes from Spain, where the King of Aragon dreams of extending his territory northwards, beyond the Pyrenees. To protect the territory that would finally give him access to the Mediterranean Sea, King Louis IX had the château comtal fortified and a second wall built around the ramparts already encircling the Cité, topped with towers and flanked by a barbican to control the banks of the Aude. Thus fortified, the Cité de Carcassonne was able to withstand long sieges and became virtually impregnable. With the development of the lower town in the ^15th century, the Cité was abandoned a few centuries later, then used as an arms warehouse during the French Revolution. Disused and threatened with destruction, it was finally saved and restored in the ^19th century.

Today, it presents itself as a living city to visitors, who discover its rich history by wandering through the maze of its streets and entering its must-see monuments, notably the Basilica of Saint Nazaire and the Château Comtal.