Inside Carcassonne: Let’s Explore France’s Famous Fortified City

Carcassonne resembles a fairytale castle from the Middle Ages — with impressive walls and towers that still captivate visitors today. Up to 4,000 people once lived within these fortified walls, and the city now attracts even more tourists daily. Let’s take a closer look and uncover some surprising stories!

CREDITS:
Report: Gönna Ketels
Camera: Henning Goll
Edit: Andreas Hyronimus
Supervising editor: Elisabeth Yorck
———————————————————————————————————————–
Subscribe to DW Travel
youtube.com/dwtravel

Would you like to find out more about DW Travel?
▸Facebook: facebook.com/dw.travel
▸Instagram: instagram.com/dw_travel

DW Travel is showing you the captivating world of travel. Come along with us to regions and cities in Germany, throughout Europe and to far-away destinations.

#carcassonne #france #medieval #dwtravel #fortress #travel

The old town of Carcassonne
looks like a medieval movie set, but it’s very real. Or is it? One of Europe’s most famous citadels, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Drawing in over 2.5 million visitors a year. Located in southern France, it’s
considered one of the best preserved fortified cities in Europe. We’ll hear five surprising
stories about Carcassonne! And join tour guide Hélène Noblesse
to set off for this city within a city. Located within the city walls,
the old town looks like a well-preserved time capsule. But what if we told you that
some things here didn’t look like this in the Middle Ages? In the 19th century, Cité as it’s called, was in ruins and in danger
of being demolished. Prominent architect Eugène
Viollet-le-Duc restored the Citadel, but he didn’t stay
completely true to the original. You can see what’s
really typical from the restoration: the slate roofs. In the 19th century,
everything was covered with slate. And of course it was really
criticized because it’s not a typical material used to cover roofs. The Medieval town was listed
on the UNESCO World Heritage list as a Medieval town but
restored by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. So that means that the restoration
is part of the national heritage, and nowadays when we restore, we restore like Eugène
Viollet-le-Duc would have done. At the medieval camp,
you can experience what life was like in 13th-century Carcassonne
and discover how people lived in their day-to-day lives. Can you believe the fortress
was rarely used in battle, but rather just for intimidation? Carcassonne was only captured once, in 1209 during the Albigensian Crusade, when its defenders ran out of water. There was a lack of water that
Raymond Roger Trencavel feared a massacre for the
population that he decided to surrender. It was not because the
town was not well defended. The strategy of the crusaders
was to use a lack of water to try to take the town more quickly, and unfortunately it worked
very well here during the crusade. The most famous legend
of Carcassonne tells of Dame Carcas, who outwitted Charlemagne
during a five-year siege. With supplies gone, she fed the last
pig wheat and threw it over the wall. Believing the city still
had plenty, the army retreated. And this lady rang a
bell to celebrate the victory. So, Charlemagne’s soldiers
hearing the bells shouted: “Carcas sonne,”
which means “Carcas is ringing.” Of course it was to celebrate a
victory and that’s of course a legend. Charlemagne has never been here. A five-year siege would have been too long. And above all, this lady never existed. Speaking of legends, the Visigoths
are said to have hidden treasure here in the 5th century, looted from Rome. And many believe it’s in this well. Patrick Robart is one of just under
30 people living in the fortified town. He’s seen the well being drained. Treasures of a different kind were found. And luckily, they found the golden cross too! Carcassonne has also been the
setting for films and continues to attract celebrities. Many check into the historic
Hôtel de la Cité, a five-star hotel within the city walls. Since 1909 we’ve had many celebrities
hat came to the Hôtel de la Cité. And the reason for this is that the hotel is ideally located between the French Riviera and the Basque Country, Biarritz. For example, we had Walt Disney in 1958. We had Grace Kelly. Hotel manager Xavier Lablaude has
displayed memories of famous guests and the original guest books in the lobby. Walt Disney is said to have found
inspiration here for his movies Snow “Snow White” and “Sleeping Beauty”,
perhaps on the hotel terrace — with its view of the fairytale towers. Carcassonne is full of
stories that often have more to do with our perception of
history than with reality. Which fact surprised you the most?