Mont Louis

Mont-Louis stands at 1600m above sea level, one of the highest fortified towns in France. High in the Pyrenees, the town is situated on a shoulder that gives a commanding view over the road down from Spain, which eventually runs past Villefranche-de-Conflent.

The purpose in fortifying this place was undoubtedly to bar the road from Spain.

Unlike Villefranche, Mont-Louis is a more typical fortification, where more conventional techniques have been used. The fortifications take the form of a square citadel of four bastions.

From this citadel extends a crownwork that encloses the town itself (NB: This is not a true crownwork because it has three complete bastions, instead of one bastion and two demi-bastions). The crownwork has arrow headed bastions and two demi-lunes, one of which is traversed by the entrance.

The ditch in front of the crownwork is deep, although it becomes shallower on the flanks. This is possibly because the terrain limits the possibilities of an attack falling on the flanks of the crownwork, and also because the guns of the citadel can sweep its flanks.

The bastions of the crownwork have small sally ports in their flanks, enabling the defenders to attack an enemy in the ditch.

An interesting feature of Mont-Louis are the traverses on the walls of the citadel. Although normally placed on the covered way or on demi-lunes, these traverses protect the ramparts and bastions themselves from ricochet fire.

Visiting Mont Louis

Mont-Louis is easily reachable by the main road up from Villefranche-de-Conflent, which passes close to the town. The road into Mont-Louis itself traverses the larger demi-lune of the crownwork.

One is more or less free to wander the walls of the town, which are in good condition. The bastion to the left of the entrance as you enter the town contains a rather strange 'solar oven', but other than that the crownwork is unspoiled. The citadel remains property of the French military (a commando unit is stationed here), although there are signs to direct you on a "tour de la citadelle", which is a path that follows the walls (from the outside), round from the north-eastern bastion of the citadel to the main entrance to the town.