Château de Quéribus, Cucugnan, France

Château de Quéribus is a ruined castle in the commune of Cucugnan. It is one of the 'Five Sons of Carcassonne', along with Aguilar, Peyrepertuse, Termes and Puilaurens: five castles strategically placed to defend the French border against the Spanish, until the border was moved in 1659.

Quéribus was first time mentioned in 1021 when it was one of the main Barcelonan strongholds north of the Pyrenees.

It is sometimes regarded as the last Cathar stronghold. After the fall of Montségur in 1244 surviving Cathars gathered together in another mountain-top stronghold on the border of Aragon. In 1255, a French army was dispatched to deal with these remaining Cathars, but they slipped away without a fight, probably to Aragon or Piedmont - both regions where Cathar beliefs were still common, and where the Occitan language was spoken.

Quéribus is high and isolated. It stands on top of the highest peak for miles around. In 1951 restoration work on the turret began, and between 1998-2002 a complete restoration of the castle was undertaken: the castle is now accessible to visitors.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Niall Flynn (8 months ago)
Ruins of Castle on hilltop. Great views of surrounding countryside.

Caroline Mussons (9 months ago)
Amazing views,reasonably priced. Good gift shop at ticket office. Bit of a steep path,not possible to access if you are in a wheelchair. Breathtaking castle,very dramatic landscape. Really worth visiting.

Simon Giles (10 months ago)
Stunning scenery which will take your breath away. Quite a drive up a winding and sometimes narrow road. It was 36c on the day we went so the walk from the car park to the castle was pretty tough. However a beautiful and historic location which is well worth a visit.

Bram Jonkers (10 months ago)
Beautifull castle, a bit of a tough ride and walk to get to but definetly worth it for the view. Do be careful on windy days!

Matt Reef (13 months ago)
Incredible views. Watch out on a windy day though!

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