The town situated on the left bank was all but destroyed during the crusades but was rebuilt in 1260 to a chess board layout. The first of its kind in Europe it is the template for the linear design of many modern cities.

The medieval walled town lies on the right bank of the river Aude. It has 52 towers connected by two rings of battlements that stretch for 3km.

Built over the ruins of a former Roman fortress, 'La Cite' of Carcassonne was occupied by both the Visigoths and the Saracens, before becoming the theatre of Pope Innocent III's crusades against the 'Cathar' heretics in the 13th century.