The History and Legends of Carcassonne, Europe’s Largest Medieval Fortified City 

With its emblematic silhouette, the fortified city of Carcassonne in the south of France is a lasting testimony of brilliant Medieval architecture and a monument whose many secrets are yet to be fully revealed.

Carcassonne illustrates more than 2,500 years of history and 1,000 years of military architecture as the perfect example of a medieval fortified city. Gallo-Roman and medieval ramparts come together to give it a unique silhouette, visible from far as it stands on a hill overlooking the Aude River and the modern town of Carcassonne. 

Listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, it is also the largest fortified medieval city in Europe, with its 3km of ramparts and its 52 towers and gateways.  

A strategic location from a commercial or military point of view, Carcassonne has always been a coveted place and has witnessed major episodes of European history. It has passed through the hands of the Romans, the Visigoths, the Saracens, the Franks, the Trencavel lords, vassals of the Count of Toulouse… but it is to the Capetian kings – Louis IX, Philip III the Bold and Philip the Fair – that we owe the final extension of the city in the 13th century. 

The Capetian kings provided it with a second rampart and fortified the castle to make it the key for defending the borders between the Kingdoms of France and Aragon. They added monumental works such as the Porte Narbonnaise or the Tour du Tréseau… and imposed the southern French architectural style. It is this aspect of Carcassonne that Eugène Viollet-le-Duc chose to bring back from ruins in the 19th century, and it is this city that we have before our eyes today. 

Fascinating for visitors, adored by locals, its name and image are ever present throughout the region and has shaped the identity of Occitanie for centuries. 

With very few inhabitants left in the city itself, transformed into a monument, local legends and stories are all that remain of the intangible heritage and memories left by those who lived within the city walls. Here are 5 stories and facts you may not know about the City of Carcassonne.

1. An impregnable city 

The City of Carcassonne was not designed to withstand a specific siege. Despite several attempts, it was never taken by force (though it has yielded to long sieges due to lack of food and water in the city). Its main objective was to protect a city built on a strategic site. Indeed, located high near the Aude River, Carcassonne has controlled, since the 5th century BC, an essential route between the Corbières massif and the Black Mountain, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean since Antiquity on the Via Aquitania. 

2. The legend of Dame Carcas 

The Lady Carcas, a Saracen noble lady, defended the city besieged by Charlemagne. After years of siege, when food was running out, she used a stratagem to discourage the attacker: she stuffed a pig with all the wheat that remained and threw it over the wall. The enemies believed that the townspeople had so many grain resources that they could feed their animals with it and even waste it. Charlemagne ordered the siege to be lifted, and as the troops moved away, Lady Carcas rang the bells. “Sire, Carcas is ringing,” (‘Carcas sonne’) said one of Charlemagne’s men.” From there came the name Carcassonne. 

3. The bowing walls 

Many legends, such as that of Lady Carcas, mention King Charlemagne, but there is nothing that historically attests that he ever spent time there. Still, on the outskirts of the walled city, a fountain was given the name of Fountain of Charlemagne. At that particular spot, the towers of the Gallo-Roman rampart appear to be leaning, as if they would be bowing to the king. 

4. The Cendrino well 

There is another well leaning against the inside rampart. This well is named because of the tragic fate of the baker Sendry’s wife, La Cendrino, who threw herself in there out of grief in November 1751. Local anecdote or legend, this story is intrinsically linked to this well which still today bears the name “la Cendrino”. 

Stories of fairies and devils, even treasures, living at the bottom of the city wells abound, notably because of the population’s preoccupation with water and its delivery to the hilltop city. 

5. The secret fountain 

One of the best kept secrets of Carcassonne is Fount Celado. In Occitan, it means “the hidden fountain”. It is a cistern, hidden inside the outer rampart walls on the city’s west side. Deeply buried, this cistern, accessible by a long and narrow staircase, is permanently filled with water. It was built at the time of the construction of the second rampart at the request of the King of France. By building Fount Celado, the royal architects found a new way to supply the place with water in the event of a siege.  

After the city came into the hands of the King of France, it was never again besieged as the fortification works were sufficiently dissuasive for the enemies. The city’s inhabitants, however, benefited from the 13th century modernization work. Most surprisingly, the use of wells, and this particular cistern, continued until the end of the 19th century, when the city was finally connected to river water.

New in September 2024: a full tour of the ramparts 

From September 13th 2024, visitors to the City of Carcassonne will be able to take a complete tour of the ramparts from the top of the inner rampart. After two years of work carried out by the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, 300 metres of ramparts and nine towers were restored, allowing this emblematic part of the medieval town to be opened for the first time. 

From now on, visitors will be able to travel almost 1.5 km independently on the inner enclosure, with the possibility of accessing intermediate exits for those who prefer to do only part of the route. This new opening will offer a breathtaking 360° view of the city, from the castle to the surrounding landscapes, from the Pyrenean foothills to the Black Mountain. An exceptional vantage point and a wonderful opportunity to rediscover Carcassonne.