Mont-Louis ramparts

Mont-Louis is the highest fortified town in France . Built according to Vauban's plans and direction, the ramparts are a feat of technology and ingenuity. Two thousand men from Languedoc and Midi-Pyrénées leveled, hewn, and erected the ramparts of Mont-Louis in barely two years on granite terrain. The moats were never filled with water as in the days of castles. They act as traps, preventing the attacker from escaping. The pointed outcrops, typical of Vauban's 17th-century strategy, serve as numerous deflections to break any enemy approach. In fact, Mont-Louis was never besieged, and the only battle near the walls was at the Col de La Perche, where the Spanish were repelled before they could even hit the thick fortifications with cannonballs. Small corner towers called "watchtowers" keep watch in all directions. The ramparts are solid and several meters thick. A visit to the Solar Furnace allows you to pass through a tunnel running the entire length of the wall. A facing of dressed stone reinforces the earthworks. Entry into the Cité is through a series of gates (five in total, including portcullises, a drawbridge, and other gates), and a tunnel. This completely enclosed fortification forces the inhabitants of Montlouis to enter through a single gate (the Porte de France). A second gate is located on the north side, reserved exclusively for the military citadel.