City of Carcassonne, France

 

María Alonso Ramajo

Carcassonne is situated in the south of France in the Languedoc-Roussillon’s region. There are two cities there; the old and medieval town and another more recent on the other side of the river. We will focus on the medieval town, the most intriguing.
Carcassonne is considered as one of the most interesting cities in the south of France, especially attractive due to its medieval fortified town, la Cité, which is considered as cultural heritage byUnesco, since 1997.

The city became important since romans fortified the hill, approximately by the year 100 a.C. and turned it into IulaCarcaso’s administrative center, which was later called Carcasum and Carcasso. In the 5th century the Visigothic Kingdom occupied the city and resisted repeated Franks’ attempts, on the other hand, the Arabs were more successful in 724, but were driven out in 759 by Pepin the Short.
Such was the deterioration of the fortified town that the French State thought seriously about it and suggested to demolish the walls. But there was a commotion and a campaign was instigated to preserve the city as a historic monument. The architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc carried out the renovation.
 As for the settlement, it has its massive defences encircling the castle and the surrounding buildings, the streets and the Gothic cathedral. The fortifications, consisting of two lines of walls and a castle and 53 towers, extend over a total length of 3 km. If we pay attention to the style, the masonry is in a characteristic late Roman one.
Every 14th of July, National Day in France, there are fireworks simulating a big fire in the city.