- Albi, Carcassonne and Dordogne -

Carcassonne 3

LINKS to other pages in the Albi, Carcassonne and Dordogne website and the Colin Day Travelling Days series:

The Gallo-Roman Towers ('Les Tours Gallo-Romaines') : These towers (on the inner ramparts) are the oldest in the city and were constructed by the Visigoths in the 5th-6th centuries. Their base, and sometimes the first level, were usually filled with stones; the other two levels were occupied and used for defence.

The towers were provided with shutters swivelling on a horizontal central axis which allowed some degree of protection from arrows fired by the attacking forces. The main characteristic of the towers is that they have flat inside surfaces and are made up of layers of small cube shaped stones alternating with layers of red brick chainings. The design resulted in a very stable structure.  (Left and Below Right).

The bridge and gateway into the Castle of the Counts. Also shown are the Tour des Casernes and the Tour du Major  (Left)

Fortifications around the Castle of the Counts. The Tour des Casernes is in the centre of the picture  (Left)

The visit to Carcassonne continues on the next page.
Please click on the 'Next' button (lower right).