Inhabited since the 6th century BC, Carcassonne was once a Roman town, fortified in the 3rd century AD.

It developed into a flourishing medieval town to which the Crown granted a second line of ramparts in the 13th century.

Restored by Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century, the citadel is a witness to a thousand years of military architecture and 2500 years of history.