Carcassonne

General view of The Upper Lists (sloping terrain between the two lines of defences), with, on the left, the Balthazar Tower, Saint Laurent Tower, Trauquet Tower, Saint Sernin Tower and the twin Narbonne Towers; on the right, Tower of la Peyre, the barbican and the Tower of Berard (roof only) in the distance, 13th century, Citadel of Carcassonne, Aude, France, pictured on February 24, 2007, under a stormy winter evening sky. The two outer walls of the concentric fortified city are defended by towers and barbicans, and a draw bridge across a moat leads to the keep of the castle. Carcassonne was a stronghold of Occitan Cathars during the Albigensian Crusades but was captured by Simon de Montfort in 1209. He added extra fortifications and Carcassonne became a citadel on the French border with Aragon. The fortress was restored in 1853 by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Picture by Manuel Cohen

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Albigensian Aude Balthazar Barbican Berard Carcassonne Cathars Citadel Concentric Crusade Cut-stone Fortified Languedoc Laurent Lists Masonry Moontfort Narbonne Occitan Sernin Stormy Stronghold Viollet-le-duc

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