![]() On 15 August, the city surrendered, and the people were allowed to leave, without any belongings at all, departing "carrying nothing but their sins". On 1 August, 1209, the Albigensian Crusade arrived at Carcassonne and began their siege. In the 12th century the inhabitants were sided with the Cathars. Among the historical interior sites are stained-glass windows from the 13th and 14th centuries.Ĭathar Castles. The Basilique Saint-Nazaire is 11th and 12th centuries, but is on the site of a 6th-century church. Only the inner Castle, with its museum-style displays charges admission: about 9.00 euros (2018) extra for the multi-lingual audio guides. Entry into the fortified "cité" of Carcassonne is free. The entrance to the castle is across a narrow bridge over a (now dry) moat this was obviously once a draw bridge.Ĭost. Inside the fortified city is a complete 12th-century fortified castle, the Château Contal. Prices are moderate and reasonable, and the choice is fairly extensive, from pizza to the regional dishes of cassoulet and magret de canard. The Place Marou is packed with terrace restaurants, filling the square. The cafés especially can be quite welcoming after some hours of exploring the cité. This is in the way of an observation rather than a criticism. The little squares filled with souvenir shops and café-restaurants reminded us of, for example, villages like St Paul-de-Vence and Les Baux-de-Provence. ![]() The only visiting cost is for The Count's Castle, the small fortified castle site at the center of the walled city. Visiting the fortified walled city is free. The interior "village" area inside the walls of La Cité is quite large, and you'll need the whole day to explore all of it. Inside the inner walls, the stone streets and buildings are very Medieval, with narrow cobblestone street and ancient buildings. You'll also have good views from the frequent apertures at the surrounding countryside and the town of Carcassonne spread out below to the west. The outer wall is much lower that the high inner wall.Įnter inside the outer walls and walk around the circumference of the fortified town (over an hour's walk) for the most impressive feeling of the defenses and the architecture. The main fortifications are two concentric, crenelated walls, separated for most of the circumference by a moat (now dry). A beautiful job was done, though, and Carcassonne City has a true Medieval look. While the history of Carcassonne dates back to Roman times, the current fortified "Medieval" structure was actually designed and built in the later half of the 19th century.
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