Salses Fortress, Salses-le-Château, France

Forteresse de Salses was built between 1497 and 1504, at the order of Ferdinand II of Aragon. It was designed by engineer Francisco Ramiro Lopez, the king’s commander and artillery master, to block access to France from Roussillon. It was originally destined to replace a previous château, from which the town takes its name (Salses-le-Château). The earliest records of this château, situated on a neighbouring rocky outcrop, date back to 1007, and it was destroyed during a siege in 1496.

The Fortress of Salses is a masterpiece of military architecture, designed to protect against the recently developed metal cannonball. It is a prime example of the transition between the mediaeval château, with its keep and cylindrical towers with long curtain walls, and the modern fortress, with its rigorously geometric and part-buried structure. Its walls are around 10 metres thick, and the fortress is divided over seven levels served by a maze of corridors and multiple interior defensive chicanes. By virtue of the defensive plan, the fortress is divided into three entirely independent sections.

The entire system was strengthened by a vast dry moat and buffer zone and, to the east, south and north-west, by three separate, pointed towers that acted as additional, advance defensive posts.

The fortress’ location was selected because of the abundant local springs that would be useful during times of siege. It occupies a strategically important position on the main route between France and Spain, on a narrow strip of land between the Corbières mountains and the marshland bordering the lakes.

The fortress, which survived a fire in 1503 despite being unfinished, was the subject of multiple attacks by both the French and Spanish. It was besieged, changed hands in 1503, 1639 and 1640, and was finally conquered by the French in 1642 following a fourth siege. With the signature of the Treaty of the Pyrenees on November 16th, 1659, the fortress’ destiny was finally sealed, and it became the permanent property of France.

Given its distance from the border, the fortress subsequently lost its strategic importance and was threatened with demolition on several occasions because it was becoming too expensive to maintain. The fortress nevertheless survived and was repaired and transformed from 1691 onwards, under the supervision of Vauban.

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Salses Fortress

User Reviews

Natalia Corbillon (2 years ago)
The fortress is stunning but there were many parts closed, in fact I found no way to visit the tower which is usually the main part of the castle, but tge price was still the same. I found it unfair to pay full price for just half of the visit. Nice exhibition of fairytale inspired diaplays though.

Richard Platt (2 years ago)
An interesting Spanish fortress of the early 1500's built low to avoid cannon shot it is a fascinating place. It helps if your French is good

stijn vandenbussche (2 years ago)
the condition of the fort is perfect. Pitty that you can only visit/walk the top part with a guide. so walking around the fort is as good as going inside and the first one is free

Chris Hancox (2 years ago)
Good fortress. Worth a visit. Guided tour was good but all in french and lasted a long time. Kids got a bit bored at this point. Very glad we visited.

Diray Joules (2 years ago)
The exhibition comes with little booklets that translate everything into English, Spanish, Catalán and French. Many parts of the fort are accessible with the normal entrance ticket, however if you want to explore the forts walls, the dungeons and the main building you will have to pay extra for guided tours. Most of the freely accessible rooms are on the ground floor/in the cellar. There is currently an exhibition about fairy tales and forests in some of the rooms which consists of art installations complete with colorful lighting and sound that makes even the unguided visit of the fort worthwhile. If you are from the EU and aged between 18-25 you are granted free access for the unguided tour, just like anyone under 18. The staff is very friendly and always prepared to help you which instantly makes you feel welcome. If you are planning to go by bike, there are approximately 4-5 bike racks in the guard house in front of the main entrance. Additionally, there's a gift shop, accessible bathrooms, vending machines for food & drink and picnic tables as well as folding chairs in the courtyard.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright caminanteK

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Château de Foix

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. The county became a privileged refuge for persecuted Cathars.

The castle, often besieged (notably by Simon de Montfort in 1211 and 1212), resisted assault and was only taken once, in 1486, thanks to treachery during the war between two branches of the Foix family.

From the 14th century, the Counts of Foix spent less and less time in the uncomfortable castle, preferring the Governors' Palace. From 1479, the Counts of Foix became Kings of Navarre and the last of them, made Henri IV of France, annexed his Pyrrenean lands to France.

As seat of the Governor of the Foix region from the 15th century, the castle continued to ensure the defence of the area, notably during the Wars of Religion. Alone of all the castles in the region, it was exempted from the destruction orders of Richelieu (1632-1638).

Until the Revolution, the fortress remained a garrison. Its life was brightened with grand receptions for its governors, including the Count of Tréville, captain of musketeers under Louis XIII and Marshal Philippe Henri de Ségur, one of Louis XVI's ministers. The Round Tower, built in the 15th century, is the most recent, the two square towers having been built before the 11th century. They served as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862.

Since 1930, the castle has housed the collections of the Ariège départemental museum. Sections on prehistory, Gallo-Roman and mediaeval archaeology tell the history of Ariège from ancient times. Currently, the museum is rearranging exhibits to concentrate on the history of the castle site so as to recreate the life of Foix at the time of the Counts.

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