Learn more about the “Cité de Carcassonne“

Since its 26 centuries of existence, the City of Carcassonne has been standing atop a small hill surrounded by endless views over vineyards. Off the north-west are the foothills of the Montagne Noire. Off south are the ones of the Pyrenees. Property of the King of France, and located at the heart of the region, this incredible fortress acquired its present form under the reign of St. Louis, Philip the Bold and Philip IV le Bel, to become, over the centuries, an impregnable citadel. It was, at the time, a very prosperous City. But the Treaty of the Pyrenees displaced the French border over 60 miles south, down to the Pyrenees, and deprived the city of its role as a military sentry. The people settled gradually into the plain where it was easier to trade grain and wine.