Castle of Salses

Posted by Zara on July 9, 2008

A Spanish fortress of XVe

I advise you to highly visit this castle, the only representation of the Spanish rebirth in France.

It is in Salses, a small village of the North of Roussillon that draws up more than a good example; military architecture known as ” of transition”. It is the acts; a fort of a rectangular form (115 meters length on 90 broad) having a cylindrical tower placed at each angle.

Castle of Salses

It was built deeply hidden in the ground in order to conceal itself partly with the sights and the blows of the enemy. The turns of the angle, which is turns artillery, are largely ventilated by cylindrical wall chases around of which roll up the spiral staircases which carry out on the upper part. These sheaths, that too many people still take for oubliettes, were also used as acoustic communication.

The walls have a thickness from 10 to 12 meters of solid brickwork and are surrounded by a huge gallery which plays at the same time the part of gallery to listen the gallery of countermine.

Entrance of the Castle of Salses

History:

The history of the fort begins in 1497, that is to say four years after the king of France Charles VIII restored Roussillon with the king of Spain Ferdinand V the Catholic. This one wished to lock the narrow passage which exists between the last buttresses of Corbieres and the ponds which were insuperable with the time and which constituted the only way to access to the area by North (see the geographical map). He thus entrusted construction of the a citadel with Francisco Ramiro Lopez, Aragonese of origin with which one will owe thereafter construction partial of the citadel of Collioure.

Six years after having begun work and whereas the fort was far to be completed, the citadel due to resist the attacks of the French Army. During this seat will have the place; explosion of the first mine of war which made a success of and will make several hundreds of victims.

In 1538 whereas this time the fort is completed Salses will have; honor to receive the visit of Charles Quint in person. During the next century it due to undergo many attacks but correctly fulfilled its role of Northern defender of the borders. It is on July 20, 1639, after 40 days of resistance, that it will fall to the hands from those which the one called with that time “ best regiments of the Kingdom of France” placed under the command of Henry II of Bourbon and the Schomberg marshal. The history will retain especially after the fall of the fort, the French troops were not able to continue their offensives with the result that the fort which been able last once to play its part of monitoring.