Aigues Castle
When it comes to castles, France is a country that can boast of unique medieval examples of fortified strongholds. One of them is the Aigues castle, which is located in the French Gard department in the south of the country and is indeed the picturesque Provence area. This country has one of the best preserved fortified castles across Western Europe.
The Aigues castle itself is locked right in the center of the walled walls that once guarded the entire medieval town. Aigues is an excellent combination of towers and interior walls with gates. In the internal network of roads, today, are small souvenir shops, gift shops and a lot of restaurants offering culinary magic.
In place of today's castle, was a large building which was still around until 102 BC. For the first time Aigues castle is mentioned in historical texts from about the 10th century, as a place they called "Ayga Mortas" which when translated means, dead water.
A little later in the 13th century, Louis IX of France built the largest and in fact the only Mediterranean port of France. In the middle and end of the 13th century precisely Aigues was the starting point of the Crusaders. The front of the medieval town still reaches marine waters, forming a unique inner lagoon.
In 1240 Pope Innocent IV calls for European rulers to take the trip to the promised land that goes right by the port under the command of Louis IX making them the seventh Crusade. At that time the area of Provence was in possession of the German Empire.
The primary aim of Aigues castle was to provide a central location for trade with the East. Over time it formed an important commercial, cultural and economic center.
The city walls are built in two stages. The first phase of building the fort was the 1650 meter run during the reign of Philip III, and the second was during the reign of Philip IV. The main military tower was completed in 1248 and today is the only thing that is preserved by construction at the time of Louis IX. All of Aigues castle was designed so that it was impregnable, as evidence shows the six meters thick city walls.
