Tarascon Castle

Tarascon Castle is an impressive and massive medieval citadel, situated on the River Rhone. Fortress Tarascon is located near the town, which is part of the southern French departament - Bouches-du-Rhône département.

Tarascon Castle rises on the left, east bank of the Rhone River. The town is situated 23 km south of Avignon, about 20 kilometers north of Arles. On the other, opposite side of the river lies the tiny French town of Beaucaire, which is part of departament Gard in France.

Next to the castle Tarascon you can see the unified Church St. Martha, which is another cultural monument of the region and the city. The basics of the powerful citadel Tarascon were placed in 1401 by Louis II of Anjou; after all, the reminiscences of the former fortification of this place on the banks of the Rhône were destroyed.

The final construction of the Tarascon Castle passes then under the management of his son Louis III of Anjou. The citadel becomes final when it was finished by his successor René I of Naples during the year of 1449. That is why the castle Tarascon is often also called - King René's castle.

The place where the citadel was built was checked with strategic importance. The main function of the castle was to defend the territories of the Provence from possible attacks.

After the 15th century the region became part of France and the castle Tarascon was no longer of particular strategic importance. However, the citadel still was used for military purposes, especially during the then so-called religious wars. In the 17th century the fortress was turned into a military prison and remains to function as such until it became state property in 1932.

Today the castle can be entered through a restored bridge, parts of which are from the original drop-down bridge of the fortress. Inside the castle there are radically contrasts with its cold sterile facade. The halls and rooms in the citadel are richly ornamented and finely decorated. Visitors of Tarascon can see today a very interesting exhibition of tapestries from the 17th century.