Château de Saint-Brisson was built by the de Sancerre family in the early 13th century on the site of a 12th-century construction. It was transformed into a beautiful, grand and stately manor house during the 16th century.
Today Château de Saint-Brisson is a tourist attraction. Through the 14 furnished rooms, visitors can discover, from the kitchen to the roof beams, a magnificent, characterful château overlooking a unique landscape between the Loire and the countryside. An additional unique feature is the Children's Museum which, through a well-stocked, antique, photograph and document collection, retraces the history of a child's life growing up in the region: René Chevreau, an adventurer and one of the pioneers of military aviation. Yet, the real attraction of the château each summer is the firing demonstrations of medieval war machines.
The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.