Fitou castle: France

Region: Pyrenees Orientales (Eastern Pyrenean Mountains)

Other names: Chateau de Fitou, Chateau Feodal de Fitou (Feudal Castle of Fitou)

Fitou castle is a small, stone castle high on the hill above the village of Fitou, known in Europe for his wine. The village itself has dramatically changed last years, as the wines from the Fitou appellation got a better name, and more and more people from the North of France and even Germany, Switzerland or England, bought the houses in the region known for its beauty, closeness to the Mediterranean Sea and a nice climate.

Several tiny town houses in Fitou have been nicely restored. You may see them walking through the village up to the castle. The castle’s museum, a slightly home made, may be attractive to visit by small children. They should not look only too close at the torture instruments. Still, they might like everyday court scenes and the alchemist’s workshop.

History: A stone castle from early Middle Ages, probably from the 10th century. Mentioned for the first time it the testament of the Viscountess Adelaïde of Narbonne. Later in the property of the Perignan family. After the fall of the Cathars schism in the 13th century, Sir of Niort, a Cathar by religion, converted to Catholicism and established himself at the Fitou castle.

Taken by the Catalan Kingdom of Aragon in the war of 1635, the castle remained in Spanish territory until the French Revolution of 1789. Burnt and robbed in 1843, remained just a ruin on a hill above the Fitou village until the modern times. Since 1974, again in private hands, slowly restored, the Fitou castle first served as a restaurant and the nightclub, now is a museum.

The feel: The Fitou castle is built from a local stone. The donjon raises high above the area. The castle is being ambitiously restored, with very small means.

Today: A French National Monument, usually called Le Chateau Feodal de Fitou, the Fitou castle is now a museum trying to show the scenes from the court life in the life Middle Ages, ancient arms, as well as mediaeval torture instruments. Descriptions are in French, English, German, and Catalan. The castle of Fitou is now offered for sale.

Opening hours: All days of the week, but the times may vary, depending on the month of the year. March: 11.00-17.30, April an May: 10-18 June 10-18.30, July and August 10-20 September 10-19 October 10-12 14 -18 November 10-12 14-17.30 December, January, February: open only in the weekends and during the French school holidays 10-12 14-17.30 14.00-17.00. Closed: January 1, May 1, November 1 and 11. Telephone: (+33) 04 68 45 65 92

Admission
Adults € 5,-, children € 2,50.

How to get there: By car - ca. 30 km from Perpignan by RN 9 direction Narbonne; on the Fitou village lights turn left onto D 50 and ride 3km uphill into the village. You will see the castle on your right. From Leucate by RN direction Perpignan, 14km; by freeway A 9 from Narbonne, accessible from exit 40 ( Echangeur de Leucate) and the N9 direction Perpignan, the castle is on the western side of the freeway.

Facilities: Parking accessible for the tourist busses.

Palace of Versailles: France

The Versailles castle with its palace and the gardens counts among the most prestigious of the world’s heritage sites and represents the finest and the most accomplished achievement of 17th century French art. This former hunting logde of the king Louis XIII was transformed and enlarged by his son Louis XIV, who installed his court and government there. The chateaux includes the two Trianon Palaces and the Queen’s Hamlet. The town of Versailles that was build around the castle bears witness to this rich period of French history. The Chateau de Versaille with the surrounding park and the gardens have been awarded World Heritage status.

Opening hours

The Palace is open every day, except Mondays and some French public holidays or during official ceremonies. The Garden, the Grand Trianon and the Petit Trianon is open every day except in bad weather (garden) or when the ceremonies are held. 26 March to 31 October there is an admission fee.

Admission

For latest admission fees to the Palace, gardens and particular attraction of the castle please visit the official website of the Chateau de Versaille: www.chateauversailles.fr

Access

By SNCF railway - the stop “Versailles-Chantiers” (from Paris Montparnasse), “Versailles-Rives Droite” from Paris Saint-Lazare
By RER - Take line C from Paris and get off on Versailles-Rive Gauche
By Bus n.171 - “Versailles place d’Armes” (from Pont de Sevres)

Salses castle: Fracne

Region: Pyrenees Orientales (Eastern Pyrennean Mountains)

Other names: Chateau de Salses, La Forteresse de Salses

Originally a Spanish castle, now in France in the Plateau de Rousillon area, which is a part of France since 1659, in the Eastern Pyrenean Mountains region. The Salses Castle is built on a narrow flat streak of land along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is through this passage that the army of Hannibal made its passage going to Italy in 218 BC. The name of the castle - Salses, comes from salinas fons, salty sources and it was given after the two sources of the salt water discovered during its construction.

The village separated form the castle by the TGV rail bears its name - Salses-Le-Chateau. Among its habitants there is a known French writer Claude Simon (Nobel Prize 1985) who lives and has w winery there. Local cooperative of wine producers has a big store nearby the castle, with wines of local appellations - strong red of Fitou, sweet Muscat de Rivesaltes, popular Corbieres and Cotes du Roussillon. The fortress of Salses is unique through its size, construction and colours. Interesting to visit.

History

This half buried in the ground fortress has been built between 1497 and 1504, by the Spanish architect Francisco Ramiro Lopez for the King Ferdinand of Aragon, King of Spain during the discovery of the New World on the place of the earlier castle, which stood there. The Salses Castle has been built to withstand the metal cannon bullets. Besieged it could house for months the garrison of 1500 men and 300 horses.

Its walls are low and up to 9 meters thick. Taken by the French in 1642 and left by its Spanish garrison, the castle has been in the years after rebuilt by the famous French military architect Vauban. It is an example of the transition between medieval fortified chateau and the modern bastioned fortifications, revolutionary at the time.

The fortress is built from pale red brick and natural stone. It is very well preserved.
Today: A French National Monument, called officially La Forteresse de Salses, the Salses fortress is now a museum and houses a collection of modern, avanguard sculpture.

Opening hours

Times may vary. The Salses fortress is open every day, in summer from 9.30 to 19.00 (from June to September), and from October to May 10.00-12.15 and after lunch 14.00-17.00. Last guided tour 1 hour before closing.
Closed: January 1, May 1, November 1 and 11. Telephone: (+33) 04 68 38 6013

Admission

Tickets are € 7,50. Children under 18 have free admission except school parties.
How to get there: By car - 16km from Perpignan by RN direction Narbonne ca. 10 minutes ride; from Leucate by RN direction Perpignan ca. 25 minutes ride, by freeway A 9 from Perpignan or Narbonne, accessible from exit 40 (riding from Montpellier) and exit 41(riding from Perpignan) , the castle is on the eastern side of the freeway. From the coast using local roads D11 or D83 driving direction Rivesaltes. By bicycle from Perpignan ca.24km or 35 minutes through small local roads.

Facilities: Guided tours, lecture tours in several languages, educational activities, modern art cultural events, and souvenirs shop.

Fort Boyard: France

Fort Boyard is a fort located between in the île d’Aix and île d’Oleron in the Pertuis d’Antioche straights, on the west coast of France.

The construction of this fort had already been considered since the completion of the arsenal in 1666, but Vauban famously advised Louis XIV against it saying “Sir, it would be easier to catch the moon with the teeth than take on such an endeavour in such a location”.

The fort was actually started under Napoleon in 1801, in order to protect the coast (and especially the arsenal of Rochefort) from possible incursions by foreign (and especially British) navies. At that time, cannons only had a limited range, and the distance between the two islands of Aix and Oleron was too large to block the passage.

Following difficulties in establishing a firm base (stone blocks had to be installed on the sandy sea bed during low tide but they still sank under their own weight) the project was adjourned in 1809. Contruction started again in 1837 under Louis-Philippe, following renewed tensions with Great Britain, and was completed in 1857.

Fort Boyard had a complement of 250 men. It is 61 meters long, 31 meters wide, and its walls are 20 meters high.

By the time of its completion however, the range of cannons had markedly increased, making the Fort unnecessary.

Under the Commune, the fort was converted to a prison, before being abandoned a few years later.

Since 1990, Fort Boyard has been used as the location for a television game show of the same name. A contraption similar to an oil rig has been installed on the side in order to facilitate access to television crews.

Fort -de-France

Fort -de-France (for-d?-fraNs) , city (1999 pop. 94,049), capital of the French overseas dept. of Martinique, West Indies. It is a popular tourist resort and a free port, exporting mainly bananas, sugar, and rum. It was settled in 1762 by the French, who built Fort-Royal by the strategically situated harbor.

Yellow fever hampered its prosperity, however, and Fort-de-France did not gain importance until after 1902, when the city of Saint-Pierre was destroyed by an eruption of Mont Pelee. Drainage of the swamps to control disease further stimulated Fort-de-France’s growth. Empress Josephine, first wife of Napoleon I, was born across the bay from the city.

Musee Adzak: France

S ituated a block away from rue Raymond Losserand, just behind the Square Losserand-Suisses, the somewhat obsure Atelier Adzak is a showcase for the works of British sculptor, photographer, and painter Wright Royston Adzak (1927-1987), as well as a living and working space for artists from around the world. The proprietor is Margaret Crowther.

Adzak, who is best known for his plant and animal “dehydrations” and for the Anthropometric man(1) series, built the studio with his own hands in the 1980s, along with the permanent sculpture garden. There are frequent temporary exhibitions of painting, drawing and sculpture by associated artists.

D uring the recent past, artists-in-residence and exhibitors at the Musee Atelier Adzak have included Dilys Bryon, Richard Campbell, Matthew Chase-Daniel, Franck K. Lundangi, Lluis Marti, Jean Money, Didier de Nayer, Gerda Schutte, and Werner Stadler. The place also hosts poetry readings from time to time, as an accompaniment to special exhibits.

The Musee Atelier Adzak is usually open on Saturdays and Sundays from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. during exhibitions. Phone in advance for information, or to visit at other times.

Collections : Painting, Photography, Sculpture.