Historic city of Carcassonne

Historic city of Carcassonne

THE historic city of Carcassonne, France is a fascinating medieval fortified town built on the hilly surface having huge ramparts enclosing the castle surrounded by buildings and a Gothic Cathedral. It was founded during the pre-roman period and took its final shape under the reigns of Louis IX, Philip the Bold and Philip the Fair. The castle can be seen from far off in the Aude countryside extending over a total length of 3 km. It displays a magnificent piece of medieval architecture consisting of 52 towers, curtain, its small entry castle, its barbican and pit. In the second half of the 19th century under the direction of Eug�ne Viollet-le-Duc, one of the most extensive restoration projects ever carried out up until that time. From 1846 to 1852, he carried out exceptional work which involved taking advantage of all of the material traces visible in the masonry on which he restored the fortress that continued even after his death in 1879. It was listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1997. This fort has had cultural impact as well. On 6 March 2000 France issued a stamp honouring the fortress of Carcassonne. Also a video and a board game version is named after the town. In sports it was made a starting point for the Tour de France in 2004 and the finishing line in 2006. The city�s wine making is one of the key economic factors for boosting profits. Rugby is a very popular game played in Carcassonne. AS Carcassonne club represents the town in the rugby league and has also played for finals in the French Championship in 1925. The dreamlike atmosphere and the fairy tale castle of this decor city, has been an ideal place for passionate medieval tales which attracted many film makers since the 20th century.

Credit sources/links: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/345 and Wikipedia

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