Fort de Salses
Encyclopedia
Principality of Catalonia
The Principality of Catalonia , is a historic territory in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, mostly in Spain and with an adjoining portion in southern France....
fortress in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Salses-le-Château
Salses-le-Château
Salses-le-Château or just Salses is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It is located near the city of Perpignan.-References:*...
, situated in the French département of Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
. It is clearly visible from the A9 autoroute
A9 autoroute
The A9 autoroute is a motorway in southern France. The road forms part of the European route E15, as does the Scottish "A9" ....
and it is possible to visit from the motorway rest area.
Built by the spaniards at the end of the 15th century, the fortress guarded the former frontier between Spain
Principality of Catalonia
The Principality of Catalonia , is a historic territory in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula, mostly in Spain and with an adjoining portion in southern France....
and France. Its layout and architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, innovative for the time, present a rare example of the transition between medieval castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
and the fortresses of the modern period.
Fort de Salses is listed as a monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
by the French Ministry of Culture, and is operated by the Centre des monuments nationaux
Centre des monuments nationaux
The Centre des monuments nationaux is a French government body which conserves, restores, and manages historic buildings and sites which are the property of the French state...
. The fortress receives 100,000 visitors a year.
During the Spanish Civil War was used like Refugee.