On the way to Aude last week I stopped at a service area on the autoroute to give Jasper a run. The area backs on to this fort, which is at the old border between France and Spain, now the border between the départements of Aude (once in the Languedoc) and the Pyrénées-Orientales (once Rousillon, the Catalan-speaking part of France).
The fort was built at the orders of the King of Spain in the 16th Century, but within less than a century the French had pushed the border South to its current position at the crest of the Pyrenees. Too strong to be demolished, the fort was left and is now a National Historic Monument, even though it has played no real part in French history. 8€ to get in, so you won't be seeing photos from the inside !
Big fire here in the summer, behind me was entirely black, you can just see a hint of it on the right.
Impressive looking building, I can see why it was left alone as it looks very sturdy.
Great info Tim, I didn’t realise part of France spoke Catalan. A good school day for me!
Great info Tim, I didn’t realise part of France spoke Catalan. A good school day for me!