Aigues-Mortes, Medieval fortress town in Gard, France
Aigues-Mortes is a fortified town in the Gard department of southern France, surrounded by a continuous medieval wall that dates from the thirteenth century. The walls form a rectangle with several towers and gates providing entry to the compact town center, where narrow streets run between old stone houses.
Louis IX of France founded the settlement in 1240 as a port to gain direct control over access to the Mediterranean Sea. The town walls were completed in the following decades and made the place a major fortress on the southern frontier of the kingdom.
This settlement served as the embarkation point for crusader ships heading to the Holy Land under King Louis IX, who chose the location for its strategic access to the Mediterranean. Visitors today can walk through streets that follow the same grid pattern laid out in the thirteenth century, with place names recalling the military and religious purpose of the original design.
The town walls are open year-round and offer walking routes with views over the rooftops and surrounding marshland. A visit in early morning or late afternoon provides cooler temperatures and fewer people on the rampart walkways.
The Constance Tower contains one of the best-preserved Gothic interiors in southern France, with four levels and a vaulted staircase winding upward. From the top platform visitors can see the pink salt ponds of the Camargue and the foothills of the Cevennes on the horizon on clear days.
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