La Cité de Carcassonne (anglais)

A significant part of Languedoc's destiny was played out in Carcassonne; but it was here, too, that the Capetian kings asserted their power outside the Île-de-France for the first time. Given the task of keeping the peace between France and Aragon, it played its role as an impregnable fortress to perfection. The double ring of fortifications, the count's castle, St Nazaire basilica, and the streets of the Saint Louis bastide tell a story that is part of the broader history of the making of France. The functional beauty of the military structures, and the architecture and decoration of St Nazaire–;both restored by Eugène Viollet-le- Duc in the 19th century–;make Carcassonne a masterpiece of world heritage.