Carcassonne: the city, not the board game.

The city of Carcassonne has a history that goes back at least 2,500 years. In ancient times it was part of the Roman empire. There are mosaics and reinforced walls that remain from that time, however most of what you see is dominated by the Middle Ages. The city has a quite violent past, being attacked and conquered by numerous assailants. In the 12th century it was sacked because the people there were of the Cathar religion, and Pope Innocent III called for a crusade against the Cathars as it was becoming too popular. The Cathars believed in a good world, made by God, as opposed to an evil world. Seems kind of depressing, now knowing how thoroughly they were stamped out.

The old city of Carcassonne is a prime example of Medieval architecture. It was restored to this state in the 19th century as part of a massive project, the stories of which read like a detective novel mixed with an archaeological/architectural textbook. Viollet-le-Duc was the head of the reconstruction process and did tons of research, studying the site, drawing the fortifications, trying to reconstruct a holistic idea of what architectural remains came from what period and what they were initially used for. He decided to focus most heavily on what the city would have looked like during the 13th century. Had he chosen a different time period, Carcassonne could have had a very different flavour.

The city itself is up on a hill, and looks out over the Canal du Midi, and the current commercial center of Carcassonne. The campground I was staying at was about 15 minutes away, on the flat. It had a lovely path along the canal to reach the old city.

Despite being small, the city is quite variable depending upon your location. Its streets are winding, but down the arterial routes there is a bustling mass of tourists. Down the side streets you find ivy-covered walls, small restaurants and just a few people, absorbed in their own thoughts. Away from the center it can seem very quiet and real, but in amongst the center of things it has more of a Disneyland feel--especially right now in the height of tourist season.

I took a tour of the central fortification. Walking in, I had thoughts of medieval happenings and couldn't help but wonder about all of the people who once lived and worked and played in the main open courtyard and surrounds.

Doors were smaller, shorter, made of heavy wood. Actually, there were all sorts of sized doors, and I was always intrigued, ones that looked like they would only accommodate a small animal. What are they for? Where do they go? Around each corner was another possible Narnia.

You could walk along the edge, looking out along the rest of the fortifications, or at the city; catch a glimpse of the cathedral, and pause looking out the criss-crossed windows of a tower.

I liked seeing glimpses of other times--remnants of doors, windows, wooden roof structures jutting out from now simple walls. There's even one location where two stories up there is an old stone fireplace, because that location once had a second story.

Circular stairwells climb the towers, and I imagine servant girls carrying buckets of water.

Looking out through an arrow loop, I imagine being an archer and holding my breath as I aim at a foot soldier in an army, staging an attack on the city.

The main entrance (or exit for me) has a drawbridge, of course, as all good medieval fortifications should. However, it was much nicer to sneak into the city on foot through the back way from the campground, as you missed all of the bus and car traffic.