The Cité de Carcassonne is a walled medieval fortress on a hilltop that the Romans fortified around 100 BC. Eugène Viollet-le-Duc restored it from 1853 to 1879, and Paul Boeswillwald and the architect Nodet continued after his death. The article names no original builder or client.
It has a concentric design with two outer walls and 52 towers. Barbicans, a drawbridge and a ditch lead to a central keep, and the Inquisition Tower dates to the 13th century. Roman sections use red brick layers and terracotta roofs, while Viollet-le-Duc used slate, which drew criticism.
It was demilitarized under Napoleon and the Restoration. A demolition decree of 1849 was opposed by Jean-Pierre Cros-Mayrevieille and Prosper Mérimée, which led to restoration. UNESCO listed it in 1997, and about three million people visit the city yearly.
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