Montpellier Citadel

En un regard

Le château en bref

Montpellier Citadel was built between 1624 and 1627 on the orders of Louis XIII, after the siege of the city, which was held by Protestants, in 1622, in order to keep the town under watch. Built between the Écusson and the Lez plain, separated from the town by an esplanade, it forms a square with four bastions: the Roi and the Reine facing the town, Montmorency and Ventadour facing the plain. Occupied by royal troops and remodelled several times (last rebuilt in 1863), it became a barracks for the engineers and then the Caserne Joffre, and since 1947–1948 has housed the Joffre lycée and collège as well as preparatory classes (classes préparatoires) on a campus of about fifteen hectares. The powder magazine of the Montmorency bastion has been converted into an Olympic swimming pool. The ramparts, their moats and the large barracks building have been listed as Monuments historiques since 1951. Owned by the commune, it is open to visits organised with the Office de tourisme.