Rocher de Carlat

Carlat

A basalt table born of a volcanic inversion of relief, the rock of Carlat bore one of the most formidable citadels of southern France, capital of the viscounty of Carladès. Its first mention dates from 839, when Louis the Pious, son of Charlemagne, came up against the stronghold. Strengthened throughout the Middle Ages — the Black tower, the Gailhar tower, an inner commandery — the fortress could be reached only by a narrow passage cut into the rock, and in the 15th century, under Jacques d'Armagnac, it sheltered nearly 400 inhabitants, before Louis XI ordered it besieged on 9 February 1476. From September 1585 to October 1586, Marguerite de Valois, Queen Margot, took refuge there: her stay still feeds local tales. Henri IV had the citadel razed between 22 December 1603 and 12 May 1604, its materials hurled into the surrounding chasms. Raised to a county in 1643 in favour of Honoré II Grimaldi, the Carladès remains tied to Monaco: the rock today belongs to Prince Albert II, and Princess Gabriella bears the title of Countess of Carladès. On the summit, a few archaeological remains and cisterns recall the vanished fortress, in a landscape that takes in the whole country around Aurillac.

Getting there : Village of Carlat, some 15 km south-east of Aurillac; climb to the summit plateau by the staircase cut into the basalt; panorama over the Cantal mountains

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound