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Medieval Walled Cities - The Best European Walled Cities to Visit



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 30th, 2005, 07:36 AM
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Default Medieval Walled Cities - The Best European Walled Cities to Visit

Ancient walls and their dunce-cap towers conjure up a romantic notion
that is as compelling as it is completely baseless. I mean, we're
talking defensive structures meant to keep the invading hordes of
sniveling, stinky, garbage-launching barbarians at bay--hardly a
romantic notion, you have to admit. Still, I'll admit to a rather
intense attraction to walled cities myself. I'll go even further and
say that medieval walled cities are quite nice to see and a real
pleasure to walk on or around.

So, below I've selected the best preserved walled cities in Europe to
visit--and even to have romantic notions about if you wish.

Avila, Spain
Avila's 11th century walls are the most important and best preserved of
the Spanish medieval walls, circling (trapazoidally) the medieval
Avila.

If you're looking for a walled city in Spain, Girona might be a better
destination, despite the fact that most of its walls have been
systematically destroyed and then rebuilt in the 19th century. The wall
walk, or passeig de la Muralla is open 8am-10pm daily. Another walk
outside the town walls is the Passeig Arqueologic, which takes you
outside the walls to view the old city on a cypress and flower lined
path. Girona began as a Roman settlement, then became a medieval hub
where Christians, Jews and Arabs converged, making it an
architecturally interesting city, and one of the true little-visited
gems of Spain.


Carcassonne, France
Nowhere outside Carcassonne will you find such a complete example of
6th, 7th, and 8th century walls in Europe. Carcassonne, a town of
46,500 people located 808 km south of Paris is on the edge of Cathar
Country, a landscape littered with romantic castle ruins. Stay in
Carcassonne or along the river below the old town, which will give you
a romantic view of La Cite lit up at night.

Carcassonne Travel Information - Be sure to check out the page by
Philippe Cuq and Bruno Berniere, who have put together an interesting
site about the architecture of the walls over time and the defenses at
the gates. Very interesting for walled town aficionados.

please support the link followed which is excelnt in it,thank for
your clicks and attention:

http://www.towas.com

http://www.replan.net

http://www.aliask.com

http://www.businessol.net

http://www.3gease.com

http://www.maxcasino.net

http://www.billowmusic.com

  #2  
Old September 30th, 2005, 08:19 AM
nightjar
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wrote in message
oups.com...
....
Carcassonne, France
Nowhere outside Carcassonne will you find such a complete example of
6th, 7th, and 8th century walls in Europe.

....

Those walls were extensively rebuilt in the 19th century. For much more
original walls (apart from the south gate, which collapsed in 1912), you
need to visit somewhere like La Couvertoirade, although I find later
fortifications, like the transitional Fort de Salses or almost anything by
Vauban, particularly interesting.

Colin Bignell


  #3  
Old September 30th, 2005, 08:29 AM
Gerrit 't Hart
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"nightjar .uk.com" nightjar@insert my surname here wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
...
Carcassonne, France
Nowhere outside Carcassonne will you find such a complete example of
6th, 7th, and 8th century walls in Europe.

...

Those walls were extensively rebuilt in the 19th century. For much more
original walls (apart from the south gate, which collapsed in 1912), you
need to visit somewhere like La Couvertoirade, although I find later
fortifications, like the transitional Fort de Salses or almost anything by
Vauban, particularly interesting.

Colin Bignell



How about Aigues Mortes (sp?) ?


  #4  
Old September 30th, 2005, 09:11 AM
Gummo
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Derry?

Gummo


  #5  
Old September 30th, 2005, 09:49 AM
John Owens
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Not Cities but:

Villefanche de Conflent
Interesting in that the garrison/fort is several hundred steps above it at a
place called Fort Liberia.

Mont Louis
I think it claims to be the highest walled settlement in France. Its a lot
smaller than Villefranche The French paras have a base there.

(Also at Mount Louis there is a solar furnace and nearby skiing/lakes.)

The Petit Train Jaune (little yellow train) links Villefranche and Mount
Louis.

John
--
John Owens
www.goodviews.co.uk
Fax +44 1509 890822


  #6  
Old September 30th, 2005, 10:05 AM
Padraig Breathnach
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"John Owens" wrote:

Not Cities but:

Villefanche de Conflent
Interesting in that the garrison/fort is several hundred steps above it at a
place called Fort Liberia.

Mont Louis
I think it claims to be the highest walled settlement in France. Its a lot
smaller than Villefranche The French paras have a base there.

(Also at Mount Louis there is a solar furnace and nearby skiing/lakes.)

The Petit Train Jaune (little yellow train) links Villefranche and Mount
Louis.

Your mention of a petit train triggers me to think of Entrevaux, also
served by a narrow-gauge railway (Le Petit Train des Dignes).

I also nominate Dubrovnik and Korcula, both in Croatia.

--
PB
The return address has been MUNGED
  #7  
Old September 30th, 2005, 10:13 AM
Jens Arne Maennig
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Gerrit 't Hart wrote:

How about Aigues Mortes (sp?) ?


Still the most impressive town fortifications for me.

Jens
  #8  
Old September 30th, 2005, 11:08 AM
Jack Campin - bogus address
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How about Aigues Mortes (sp?) ?
Still the most impressive town fortifications for me.


For real massiveness, Istanbul's are surely the tops - one of the
last mediaeval walls to be finished, and a last-ditch effort at
saving an entire empire. Coming back to Edinburgh and seeing the
remains of the Flodden Wall from 1513, I felt like (Crocodile
Dundee voice) "you call that a wall?".

Diyarbakir's walls are impressive because of what they're made of
(black basalt). The best view of them is from the Tigris side,
elsewhere they tend to get swamped by the modern city in the same
way as York's.

============== j-c ====== @ ====== purr . demon . co . uk ==============
Jack Campin: 11 Third St, Newtongrange EH22 4PU, Scotland | tel 0131 660 4760
http://www.purr.demon.co.uk/jack/ for CD-ROMs and free | fax 0870 0554 975
stuff: Scottish music, food intolerance, & Mac logic fonts | mob 07800 739 557
  #9  
Old September 30th, 2005, 11:20 AM
a.spencer3
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Default


wrote in message
oups.com...
Ancient walls and their dunce-cap towers conjure up a romantic notion
that is as compelling as it is completely baseless. I mean, we're
talking defensive structures meant to keep the invading hordes of
sniveling, stinky, garbage-launching barbarians at bay--hardly a
romantic notion, you have to admit. Still, I'll admit to a rather
intense attraction to walled cities myself. I'll go even further and
say that medieval walled cities are quite nice to see and a real
pleasure to walk on or around.

So, below I've selected the best preserved walled cities in Europe to
visit--and even to have romantic notions about if you wish.

Avila, Spain
Avila's 11th century walls are the most important and best preserved of
the Spanish medieval walls, circling (trapazoidally) the medieval
Avila.

If you're looking for a walled city in Spain, Girona might be a better
destination, despite the fact that most of its walls have been
systematically destroyed and then rebuilt in the 19th century. The wall
walk, or passeig de la Muralla is open 8am-10pm daily. Another walk
outside the town walls is the Passeig Arqueologic, which takes you
outside the walls to view the old city on a cypress and flower lined
path. Girona began as a Roman settlement, then became a medieval hub
where Christians, Jews and Arabs converged, making it an
architecturally interesting city, and one of the true little-visited
gems of Spain.


Carcassonne, France
Nowhere outside Carcassonne will you find such a complete example of
6th, 7th, and 8th century walls in Europe. Carcassonne, a town of
46,500 people located 808 km south of Paris is on the edge of Cathar
Country, a landscape littered with romantic castle ruins. Stay in
Carcassonne or along the river below the old town, which will give you
a romantic view of La Cite lit up at night.

Carcassonne Travel Information - Be sure to check out the page by
Philippe Cuq and Bruno Berniere, who have put together an interesting
site about the architecture of the walls over time and the defenses at
the gates. Very interesting for walled town aficionados.

please support the link followed which is excelnt in it,thank for
your clicks and attention:

http://www.towas.com

http://www.replan.net

http://www.aliask.com

http://www.businessol.net

http://www.3gease.com

http://www.maxcasino.net

http://www.billowmusic.com


I thought Carcassonne was almost entirely a modern reconstruction?
A small, little known walled town I've always liked is Aigues Mort in the
Camargue.

Surreyman


  #10  
Old September 30th, 2005, 12:57 PM
a.spencer3
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"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 30 Sep 2005 10:20:38 GMT, "a.spencer3"
wrote:


I thought Carcassonne was almost entirely a modern reconstruction?
A small, little known walled town I've always liked is Aigues Mort in the
Camargue.


Little known? :-)
--


Found it by accident and haven't yet met anyone else who has been there.
If it is well known it certainly deserves to be!
Shows what good taste I have then! :-))

Surreyman


 




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