Historic Fortified City of Carcassonne

 fortress, interesting place, UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Walled City of Carcassonne is known first and foremost as a fortified medieval town; but this rocky outcrop has been occupied by man since the 6th century B.C., first as a gaul settlement, then as a Roman town fitted with ramparts as early as the 3rd and 4th centuries A.D.
Even before the Romans, Iberians had settled on the hill above the river Aude along the old trading route linking the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. In 418, the Gallo-Roman town of Carcasso fell to the Visigoths, who built the inner town fortifications in 485. In 725, the Moors conquered the town, followed by the Franks in 759. In 1229, Carcassonne fell to the French crown.
The impressive Romanesque St Nazaire Basilica was built from 1096 to 1150, during the course of the town's expansion in the Middle Ages. It was remodeled in the Gothic style in the 13th century, and the magnificent stained glass windows date from the 14th to 16th centuries. Around 1125, Chateau Comtal was integrated into the inner town wall complex. Construction of the outer wall and its fortified towers began at the end of the 13th century. An imposing gate, the Porte Narbonnaise, was added later, and the Pont d'Avignon is from the 12th century. The fortifications fell into a state of disrepair after about 1660 but they were reconstructed in 1844. The project was not completed until 1960.

www.carcassonne.org/carcassonne_EN.nsf/vueTitre/docPatr...

www.carcassonne.culture.fr/en/fr-uk.htm

whc.unesco.org/en/list/345