The castle of Carlat was located in the town of the same name, in the department of Cantal, 15 km south-east of Aurillac.
A first castrum is mentioned as early as the 8th century, but it was in the 10th century that a fortress was built on the rock dominating a basaltic plateau. It passed from the Viscount of Millau to the King of Aragon in the 11th century then to the Count of Rodez in the 12th century. Large in size, reputed to be "the most formidable citadel in the whole of southern France", the castle was however taken by the English in 1369. But in 1386, the King of France Charles VI took it over and offered it to the Duke of Berry.
Overlooking the valley, a major strategic point, in the 15th century, the castle is known to shelter lords in trouble with the royal power. In 1476, thus, Louis XI comes to arrest himself the Duke of Nemours and Viscount of Nemours Jacques d'Armagnac who will end up beheaded in Paris a year later.
But although his wife Marguerite de Valois (known as Queen Margot) stayed there, it was Henri IV who was to put a definitive end to the fortress of Carlat and its powerful lords. In 1602, he had the governor of Carlat arrested, whom he suspected of having participated in a conspiracy. He finally agrees to let him live but in retaliation, he has the castle dismantled stone by stone in 1603 and 1604.
The site of the rock (where the old castle stood) has been owned since the end of the 19th century. century of the Prince of Monaco.
A visit to the premises is offered via augmented reality technology: thanks to screens, a headset and a specific digital application, the visitor goes back several centuries and can visit the castle like the village as they were before their destruction began in 1603.
Models are also on display.
Please note: access to the rock requires a quarter of an hour's walk.
Open during school holidays. Price: 4 to 8 euros. Family pass. Information on +33 4 71 48 46 58.
