Carcassonne - France’s Best
Preserved Medieval City Written and photographed by James Ullrich
There’s a place that the relentless march of time and progress
has not destroyed, gentrified or modified. A medieval wonderland,
its ramparts, towers and cobbled alleyways are authentic as they
are breathtaking. Welcome to the walled fortress city of Carcassonne.
The UNESCO World Heritage site, located near the southern tip
of France, is the largest authentic medieval city in Europe with
its original city walls and towers still intact. In fact, there
are a double ring of soaring ramparts and an astonishing fifty-three
towers protecting the city. The picture-book appearance of the
hilltop city has the ability to leave even the most cynical traveler
deeply impressed.
Though the area had been inhabited for thousands of years, it
was not until approximately 100 BC that the Romans identified
the city’s current location as a valuable strategic location.
Shortly afterward, a town was founded and the first walls of the
settlement were created. This set the precedent for the soon-to-be-prosperous
city: good combination of prudent defense and commerce.
The following centuries saw the town become a thriving city-within-a
-fortress. It prospered in the medieval wool trade, and the current
walls, built upon the Roman remains in the 1300’s, successfully
protected the city from sieges during the turbulent Middle Ages.
By the 1600’s the political situation of the region, known
as Languedoc-Rousillon, had stabilized and the city ceased to
be of military significance. The city was finally able to focus
on its commercial trade and became even wealthier.
For the modern traveler visiting the city, it’s a breathtaking
sight. Stepping off the train, I crane my neck up at the imposing
walls and towers in the distance. It looks like an illusion. A
place like this can’t possibly still exist in this age.
A steep hike uphill ensues under the relentless summer sun.
I begin to bake as I trudge toward the entrance gate, a partition
in the curtain of stone the rings the city. My mouth is dry with
thirst and the back of my shirt is damp with sweat, but I finally
approach the drawbridge. I cross it and enter the grand gate,
passing through both the enormous inner and inner walls which
have kept this place safe for seven hundred years. I am immediately
stunned by just how eerily authentic the citadel is. Cobbled lanes,
ancient churches, soaring spires are everywhere I turn.
Unfortunately, so are tourists and tacky souvenir shops. Like
anyplace in Europe popular with the tourists, the crowds are thick
in the summertime and there is no shortage of stalls and stores
selling cheap trinkets for high prices. Just accept it. After
all, the city has been a center of commerce for many centuries.
Today its main product just happens to be itself. The trick is
to block out the crowds and postcard racks like white noise. Focus
on what you came here to see. There’s plenty of it.
The walls themselves are a marvel. Two miles around, spiked by
fifty-three towers, a layer of the original Roman wall can still
be seen within the later medieval addition. St. Nazaire Church
is a gorgeous example of Romanesque architecture, while the Château
Comtal, built in 1125, had the distinction of becoming Nottingham
Castle when “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves” was filmed
here in 1991. It doesn’t take much imagination to picture
knights chasing each other through the streets on horseback with
swords drawn and armor glinting in the sun.
The main attraction of the majestic city is its ambiance rather
than any particular landmarks. Walk along the ramparts and gaze
out over the turrets, spires and towers stretching before you.
Wonder at the Gothic touches of the castles and churches and fine
old homes. Get lost in the cobbled lanes that meander along just
as they have for centuries, and find a tiny café in a courtyard
to relax and people watch.
The best time to be here, however, is evening. It is a time most
tourists miss out on. Once the sun goes down the citadel is beautifully
lit by floodlights imbedded in the old stones of the wall and
street. By this time, the tour groups have left to check into
their chain hotels on the outskirts of town. This is magic time.
When the crowds have retreated, the crispness of the night air
has arrived, and the walls are aglow, hoist yourself up onto the
ramparts and gaze out over the ancient town. I defy you not to
feel a chill run up your spine. It’s a mesmerizing sight.
I leave the city the following morning. The entrancing nighttime
glow had been replaced with the scorching sun once again. Exiting
through the gate and crossing the drawbridge, I emerge back into
the modern world—or at least what passes for it in the southern
French countryside. A few minutes’ walk downhill from the
majestic fortress and I’m back in the world of modern houses,
parking lots and tour buses. Suddenly I feel strangely vulnerable;
I miss the security of the stone curtain of double walls and the
Romanesque towers surrounding me. Everything suddenly feels so
new, so transient, so…dull.
To visit Carcassonne is to step into the storybook medieval city
you dreamt about but never knew existed. It does, and it’s
waiting for you.
James Ullrich
is a freelance travel writer from Seattle. He is currently
writing his first novel.
