Tarascon

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Shortened history of the castle:

With its location along the Rhone, Tarascon is one of the finest medieval castles in France, and was built in front of Beaucaire, a royal city. The castle is built on a rocky islet on the edge of the Rhone, which runs along one side while a ditch carved into the rock that can receive the waters of the Rhone separated from the city. It consists of two distinct parts: the north yard reserved for common men and weapons, and south the house itself.

The first castle was occupied in the middle of the thirteenth century by Charles of Anjou, Count of Provence, brother of St. Louis King of France.

Upon his return from Italy in november 1400, Louis II of Anjou, Count of Provence, ordered massive reconstructions of the castle. Work is progressing rapidly, but are interrupted a few years later and are taken from 1428 to 1435 by his son Louis III of Anjou. The architect was John Robert, took materials from the quarries of Tarascon and Beaucaire.

After 1481, the castle is occasionally used for agents of the king.

From the eighteenth century to 1926 the castle served as a prison.

Opening times and additional information:

The castle is open daily:

- April 1 to August 31 from 9am to 7pm
- September 1 to March 31 from 10.30am to 5pm (Closed on Mondays)

The castle is closed on 1 January, 1 May, 1 and 11 November and 25 December.

Chateau d'If

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In 1516, Francois the First seizes the strategic importance of this "rock" and orders that on it should stand a fortress. In 1531, the castle, which has three towers and a dungeon, locks the harbor of Marseille.

The Castle of If, impregnable fortress, will never experience assaults nor fights, and will become a prison during the early 17th century.

From 1689, the Protestants are thrown into the fortress where a lot of them perish. Rich prisoners, however, are put to jail in decent conditions: a cell with view on the see, a cook for the meals, cloth changed once a week... Young Mirabeau, jailed six months at the behest of his father, praised the comfort of his cell and the quality of the meals that she served.

In fact, the most famous prisoner is likely to be Jose Custodio Faria, a priest spiritualist who Alexandre Dumas immortalized in his "Count of Monte Cristo". By the way, the hole he dug to escape in the wall of a cell is still visible today.

After hosting the insurgents of 1848 and the Communards of 1871, the fortress lost its purpose of prison and will be open to the public in 1890.


Opening hours and information: