Carcassonne: an old old old walled city
Visiting this place gave me Game of Thrones vibes
Carcassonne has always been on my list of places to visit in France. It’s tucked in the southwest corner of the country, not far from the border with Spain. In fact, on a clear day you can see the Pyrenees.
Located in the region of Occitanie, Carcassonne is a World Heritage Site, as well it should be: it dates back to 3,500BC. Later, the Romans built it up as a military fortress and during the Roman Empire built a road that ran all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. That helped make it a popular trading town.
The old medieval castle and battlements were in disrepair until a man named Eugène Viollet-le-Duc came along in the 19th century. I discovered that the French architect had a hand in the restoration of many important buildings across France, including the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. (Incidentally, I am not well-versed in military terminology, so I had to look up what ‘battlements’ are - they’re the high walls that have squared openings for shooting out of.)
Over centuries, various battles in the region prompted add-ons to the fortress, especially during the Middle Ages. Carcassonne’s medieval fortress remained mostly intact, but Viollet-le-Duc wanted to bring it back to its original structure. So, he removed towers, gates and walls that had been added during various states of siege.
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When touring the fortress, there are many tableaus explaining the work Viollet-le-Duc did to painstakingly restore it to the attraction it is today. It took 26 years, from 1853 to 1879 to do that work. (It reminds me of Monet’s Water Lilies, the achievement of a lifetime.)
The medieval fortress and its surrounds were designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1997. (Link to the UNESCO listing, in French)
The historic city of Carcassonne is an excellent example of a medieval fortified city whose enormous defense system was built on the ramparts dating back to late Antiquity. -UNESCO
There are plenty of cafes, restaurants, and shops to keep you occupied in the old city. For lunch I had a deliciously heavy cassoulet with a duck leg. Cassoulet is a type of bean stew with sausage and other meat (often duck) that is a traditional dish of southwestern France. I saw several restaurants advertise it on their menu boards.
From the Carcassonne train station, it’s a nice 40-minute walk through town to get to the Cité Médiévale. I just went for the day, which was perfect. I didn’t need more time than that, though you could stay a night or two. One nice thing about staying overnight is you can see the old city beautifully lit up after dark.
By the way, I visited Carcassonne in November, and the weather was great. There were very few tourists and the temperature was in the 60s, and with the sun it feels much warmer.
More information (in English!): Office de tourisme de Carcassonne
Great article! Always nice to learn something new.
My husband and I visited Carcassonne many years ago. For some reason I was nervous the whole time we were there. It seemed like a threatening place. Perhaps it was because I felt thrown back into history