Photo : Sébastien Bellanger / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Tour Barberousse
The Tour Barberousse stands in the coastal village of Gruissan, in the Aude. Like the castle ruins, it has been listed as a historic monument since 14 April 1948.
The tower is all that remains of a castle built at the end of the 10th century to watch over the approaches to the port of Narbonne and protect the city against invasions from the sea. Built on a steep rocky hill, the castle was enlarged in the 12th century by the Archbishop of Narbonne, Guillaume de Broa. Richelieu later ordered its destruction, and it was left abandoned.
Today the village of Gruissan surrounds the castle ruins. The site offers a wide view over the village, the coast, the lagoon, the salt pans and the port of Gruissan.
