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Carcassonne France

My first visit to Carcassonne was pure serendipity. I'd heard a lot about the French city of Toulouse? and had decided to make an overnight stay there after my first visit to Spain.

Though it is one of the bigger cities in France and has some interesting features like old churches and Art Deco houses, there was not as much there as I had thought, at least not within walking distance of the railway station. I was using a Eurailpass. Since I had to wait for the next train north to Germany until late that evening, I asked around what other sights in the area might be worthwhile. Somebody recommended Carcassonne and after finding out a little bit more about it, I hopped on the next train to go see it.

I was somewhat disappointed when I got off the train. It was just a normal town but I had seen something on a hill in the distance. Might that be my goal? Yes, it was and it really didn't take all that long to get there. I had immediately bought a guidebook. I love history and discovered that this place, i.e., Carcassonne la cité had had a pre-Roman settlement at this site. There must have been some remnants found during the restoration that started in the late 19th C. and continued until very recently. In 1997, after its restoration was finally completed, it was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

I soon found out why this was such an unusual place. In Europe, there are still many walled towns or towns in which you can see at least parts of old walls. This town, however, had a double wall and it was strategically situated on a hill from which you could see for miles. When you enter by the main gate, you enter through first one wall and about 10 yards farther, through another gate into the Cité proper. In front of the main entrance there is a carpark where you can see cars from all over Europe. Cars are not allowed inside the Cité. In effect, once you are past the gates, you find yourself in a medieval town with cobbled streets and houses that look old.

In order to get the most out of my fairly brief visit, I decided to take a tour of the Castle that is also walled in the west of the town. In effect, the castle has a triple wall around it on the side facing the walls.

Our guide explained more to us as we walked the ramparts of the castle. The oldest remnants of habitation date back to about 600 B.C. The inner ramparts of the Cité were built in the 5th C. A.D. by the Visigoths. The Saracens captured and held it for 24 years until they were routed by the father of Charlemagne. Charlemagne himself tried to capture the city but was apparently tricked by a ruse.

The vicomtes the Trencavel further fortified the walls in the 12th C. and two of the French kings did so during the 13th C. These further fortifications were probably the outermost walls. During these times Carcassonne's situation close to various hostile countries or factions gave it great strategic importance. Once there was more stability in France, it lost most of its military advantages and was left to decay. During all this time, however, the Cité was occupied by the common people as well as soldiers' families.

I have a big poster of the Cité covering a blind window just next to me. There must be close to 200 buildings within the walls. Some of them may have only one or two stories, others seem to have four or five. There is also one other very fine attraction right along another wall, the Basilique St. Nazaire. The nave is in the Romanesque style with the choir and transept in the Gothic (11th to 14th C.). It contains some beautiful stained-glass windows and rose medallions and a 16th C. organ, one of the oldest in the southwest of France. Unfortunately, the last time I was there, the church was also under reconstruction and we could see very little of it.

But just walking through the Cité is a joy. There are houses with flower-boxes in their windows, a bakery here and a greengrocer there; there a butcher and over here another store. I don't know what it's like to live in a World Heritage Site but it must surely be interesting to see so many people from all over the world.

I've been there three times now: once by myself, a few years later with a friend and then with my parents on our way from Spain when they wanted to tour Europe a bit before I returned to North America. And I'd go again to see the changes that have been made in the last 27 years.

As I passed through the gates for the last time on our way to our car, I noticed a holly bush amongst those lining the access path. That was the first time I'd actually seen holly. Should I or shouldn't I? I decided "yes" and broke off a twig of the holly bush. Of course it has totally dried up since then but somehow the berries and leaves were still clinging to the stem. Since I moved about 9 months ago, I haven't yet seen the branch. I'm hoping it is still in good condition. Whenever I see it, I have to think of Carcassonne, truly one of my favorite places in the world. And to think I might have missed it completely.