Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: fortress

Albi was a wealthy and prospering time already in the 11th century, when a bridge, that still exists, was built, to cross the river Tarn. Albis´s fate changed dramatically, when in 1208 Pope Innocent III and Philip II of France decided to start the Albigensian Crusade to eliminate Catharism in the south of France. Albi was an important center of the Cathars and got nearly completely destroyed between 1209 and 1229. Many Cathars were burnt at the stake in Albi. When, just after the Crusade, Durand de Beaucaire was bishop here, the erection of this fortress and the donjon started. The fortress, what was meant to be the episcopal palace, was enlarged and furher fortified even by his successors. Obviously the Catholic administration did not really feel safe and comfortable in that time. Later, the bishops transformed the structure into a stately palace with Baroque gardens, overlooking the river Tarn. Since the 1920s the Palais de la Berbie hosts the Toulouse-Lautrec Museum. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 – 1901) was born in Albi.

Ruesta was a fortress, erected by the Moors within the 10th century. The place got conquered during the Reconquista and was an important fort, owned since 1054 by the Kings of Aragon. The town prospered and survived the times upto the 1950s, when the Yesa reservoir was constructed and the rising sea level submerged great parts of the valley. Not only the historical "Camino Aragonés" got destroyed, the villagers lost all the fields, they had cultivated over the centuries. They lost their basis of existence. In 1959 the village was abandoned and since then fell in ruins. Some years ago a trade union (CGT) has started a program to rebuild and revitalize Ruesta. So far there is a albergue and a nearby campsite. Unfortunately it is not allowed to "explore" the many ruined structures, as they are all very unstable. Here is a Spanish website with lots of information: www.iberica2000.org/Es/Articulo.asp?Id=3646