Château des Baux
The grounds of the château encompass a complex of evocative, mostly ruined buildings, which were carved out of the rocky mountain peak. Also called la ville morte (the "dead village") or La Citadelle, the Château des Baux is at the upper (northern) end of Les Baux. It's accessible via the rue du Château, at the Hôtel de la Tour du Brau, which contains a small archaeological and lapidary museum. Inside the compound is the ruined château des Baux with its tower-shaped donjon and surrounding ramparts, and the two towers, Tour Paravelle and Tour Sarrasine. The collection of replicated medieval siege engines was built from the original plans. The ruined chapel of St-Blaise houses a little museum devoted to the olive. The site of the former castle covers an area at least five times that of the present village of Les Baux. As you stand here you can look out over the Val d'Enfer (Valley of Hell), the dramatic and jagged gorge that sits below Les Baux. Vineyards and olive groves fill the valley, looking little different from how it was in ancient times.
The grounds of the château encompass a complex of evocative, mostly ruined buildings, which were carved out of the rocky mountain peak. Also called la ville morte (the "dead village") or La Citadelle, the Château des Baux is at the upper (northern) end of Les Baux. It's accessible via the rue du Château, at the Hôtel de la Tour du Brau, which contains a small archaeological and lapidary museum. Inside the compound is the ruined château des Baux with its tower-shaped donjon and surrounding ramparts, and the two towers, Tour Paravelle and Tour Sarrasine. The collection of replicated medieval siege engines was built from the original plans. The ruined chapel of St-Blaise houses a little museum devoted to the olive. The site of the former castle covers an area at least five times that of the present village of Les Baux. As you stand here you can look out over the Val d'Enfer (Valley of Hell), the dramatic and jagged gorge that sits below Les Baux. Vineyards and olive groves fill the valley, looking little different from how it was in ancient times.
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