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Les Baux-de-Provence in the south of France is a remarkable sight, a unique stone village dramatically perched 750 feet high on a rocky plateau with a history dating to the Middle Ages, and a prehistory going back probably about 8,000 years. Les Baux was once a powerful medieval castle that controlled vast territories, including 79 other villages throughout Provence, but now it's a tiny quaint ruin.
Charming as could be, this cozy hill-top hamlet is a major tourist attraction with 1.5 million annual visitors, making it the second most-popular site in the region after the Pope's Palace in Avignon. This tells you that it is very worthwhile, but it can get uncomfortably crowded unless you take preventive action, like visiting in the off-season, or arriving early or late in the day.
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It's only about 3000 feet long and about 700 feet wide and that's it.”
The medieval village was built up from the 10th century and by the peak of occupation during the late 14th century nearly 3,000 people lived in this small space, although the permanent population nowadays living inside the old town is only 20 people.
The plateau was naturally easy to defend due to vertical cliffs all around, and was further reinforced with stone walls and castle as protection from invasion by Franks, Catalans, Saracens and marauding bandits of the chaotic Middle Ages. However the castle was finally attacked and destroyed in the 1600s by Cardinal Richelieu and his large well-armed French army, leaving us with dramatic ruins of the castle, which they call the Château. And it retains a wild setting among rugged rocky hills.
You will not get lost because there is only one main pedestrian lane about 300 meters long with a few short side alleys leading to viewpoints. You really don’t need much of a guidebook to help get through this smallest of Provencal destinations - just follow your nose and wander about. But we do have some suggestions.
There are two parts to visit in Les Baux -- the free village, with its pedestrian lanes, shops, restaurants and old buildings, and the paid attraction, the ruins of that castle on the plateau where you can see some of the old buildings and fortifications.
5 окт 2024
