Carcassonne Medieval City

Carcassonne Medieval City

Carcassonne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in southern France and the largest surviving fortified medieval complex in Europe, its double ring of walls and towers rising above the Aude river as one of the most complete examples of medieval military architecture.

History

Occupied since the Neolithic period, Carcassonne became a major Roman settlement and later capital of the Visigoths. The inner Visigoth and Carolingian walls were built between the 5th and 9th centuries. French royal engineers added the outer ring in the 13th century following the Albigensian Crusade. After falling into disrepair, the city was famously rescued by the architect Eugene Viollet-le-Duc from 1853 onwards, whose controversial restoration returned the towers their conical slate roofs. UNESCO inscribed the city in 1997.

What to See

The Cite, the upper medieval town, is entered through the Narbonnaise Gate, its twin towers guarding the drawbridge. The Chateau Comtal, a 12th-century count’s palace, houses a museum of the city’s history. The Romanesque Basilica of Saints Nazarius and Celsus contains exceptional Gothic stained glass. Walking the lices, the grassy corridor between the two rings of walls, reveals the full scale of the fortification system. The lower town across the river, the Bastide Saint-Louis, offers quieter medieval lanes.

Getting There

Carcassonne is in the Aude department of southern France, between Toulouse and the Mediterranean coast. The city has its own airport with seasonal connections. TGV trains from Paris take about four hours; regional trains connect from Toulouse in under an hour.

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