Château de Quillan, Quillan, France

Château de Quillan was first mentioned in 1125. There had been a fort built by Visigoths already in 781 AD. The castle was conquered by the Royal army of France in 1210 during the Albigensian Crusades. The castle got its current appearance in restorations of 1232 and 1341. Since then Quillan castle has been damaged in wars by Spanish Armies and Huguenots (1575).

Since the 18th century Château de Quillan was left to decay and dismantled. Today still the impressive ruins remain overlooking the village.

User Reviews

Clifford Stanton (2 months ago)
I only walked past this place, so, quite honestly I can't say what it is like.

Walter Luysterborg (6 months ago)
Top

This Moment (2 years ago)
Very interesting place as is it's place in history, but by far and away the biggest reason to take the short walk up from the square is "The Green Embrace" of the firests and dramatic hills opposite

James McOran-Campbell (2 years ago)
I'm fond of this place cos it provides a good view over my local town, but there's not much to see at the actual chateau itself.

madeleine s (2 years ago)
Always take visitors up here, as great views on way up but chateau itself is a bit "so what"..... municipal storage building or whatever it is within castle may be practical but hardly adds to its allure.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright jl.cernadas

Historic Site of the week

Roman Walls of Lugo

Roman Walls of Lugo are an exceptional architectural, archaeological and constructive legacy of Roman engineering, dating from the 3rd and 4th centuries AD. The Walls are built of internal and external stone facings of slate with some granite, with a core filling of a conglomerate of slate slabs and worked stone pieces from Roman buildings, interlocked with lime mortar.

Their total length of 2117 m in the shape of an oblong rectangle occupies an area of 1.68 ha. Their height varies between 8 and 10 m, with a width of 4.2 m, reaching 7 m in some specific points. The walls still contain 85 external towers, 10 gates (five of which are original and five that were opened in modern times), four staircases and two ramps providing access to the walkway along the top of the walls, one of which is internal and the other external. Each tower contained access stairs leading from the intervallum to the wall walk of town wall, of which a total of 21 have been discovered to date.

The defences of Lugo are the most complete and best preserved example of Roman military architecture in the Western Roman Empire.

Despite the renovation work carried out, the walls conserve their original layout and the construction features associated with their defensive purpose, with walls, battlements, towers, fortifications, both modern and original gates and stairways, and a moat.

Since they were built, the walls have defined the layout and growth of the city, which was declared a Historical-Artistic Ensemble in 1973, forming a part of it and becoming an emblematic structure that can be freely accessed to walk along. The local inhabitants and visitors alike have used them as an area for enjoyment and as a part of urban life for centuries.

The fortifications were added to UNESCO"s World Heritage List in late 2000 and are a popular tourist attraction.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Château de Quillan

Address

Details

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Rhodes, The Island of Knights

Great Spa Towns of Europe

History of Guernsey & Jersey

Historic Site of the week

Roman Walls of Lugo

Looks like you are a history fan!