1. CARCASSONNE By Claire Burns, Period 6

2. INTRODUCTION  Carcassonne is a city is southern France that lies on the Aude River  It is the capital of the Aude department  Carcassonne is historically a fortress guarding the eastern end of the gap between the Massif Central of France (to the north) and the Pyrenees (to the south)

3. HISTORY  Carcassonne was first occupied by the Romans who called it Carcaso  After being under roman rules, Carcassonne was under the power of many tribes who further fortified and developed it  More fortifications were added during the 13 th century to keep Edward the Black Prince out of the city during the Hundred Years War

4. HISTORY CONTINUED  In the mid-19 th century, (after being abandoned for 100 years) Carcassonne was in bad shape. It was ordered to be destroyed, but the current mayor and ancient monuments inspector saved it  Eugene Viollet-le-Duc, a well known architect of the time, is credited with restoring the town  Today the town has medieval dwellings, a cathedral, a chateau, and a museum with the history of Carcassonne

5. TIMELINE  Last 100 years BC – Roman soldiers built the walled town  600’s, 1100’s, and 1200’s – walls were rebuilt multiple times  1800 – Carcassonne’s two communities, Cité and Lower Town, merge

6. TIMELINE CONTINUED  1804 – removed from the list of military fortresses  1820 – reinstated as a second grade fortress  Late 1800’s – walls were repaired or rebuilt to be preserved for historical purposes

7. DESCRIPTION AND FACTS  Carcassonne is over 2,000 years old!  The first settlers in the region, however, settled in 3500 BC  It was never attacked during the Hundred Years War

8. FACTS CONTINUED  After the 1659 Treaty of Pyrenees gave the town/region to France, it was used more as an important regional capital and less as a fortress  Carcassone was used as an arsenal and a supply depot during the Ancien Regime and the Revolution  The fortress consists of two walls, a castle, and 50 towers

10. INFLUENCE ON FRANCE  Carcassonne is an architectural wonder  The restoration of Carcassonne had a huge influence on French practices and principles  Today you can visit Carcassonne and walk through the town and museum

11. WORKS CITED  Price, Homer. Encyclopedia Americana. Vol. 5. 2005. Print.  Kesselman, Mark, Ph.D. "Carcasonne." World Book Student. World Book, n.d. Web. 15 May 2013..  "History of Carcassonne." Carcassonne. Mescladis, n.d. Web. 16 May 2013..

12. WORKS CITED CONTINUED  Historic Fortified City of Carcasonne." UNESCO. UNESCO, n.d. Web. 16 May 2013..  Gadling. AOL Inc., 1 May 2013. Web. 16 May 2013..  "Carcassonne." France This Way Castles. France This Way, n.d. Web. 16 May 2013..