Sunday, March 3, 2013

Libéria Fort - France

The Libéria Fort, located in Villefranche-de-Conflent in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, is one of fortified buildings built by Vauban and added in 2008 to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Fortifications of Vauban consists of 12 groups of fortified buildings and this is my 3rd card representing this site. The other show the citadel of Besançon and Tour Vauban or Tour dorée (lit. "Golden Tower") in Camaret-sur-Mer.
This card was sent by Fabienne.

© Objectif Sud - Messages du Sud * Foto: C. Levillain
The fort built by Vauban following the division of Catalonia between the France and Spain by the Treaty of the Pyrenees, from 1681. The fort is connected to the village of Villefranche by an underground staircase. It thus dominates the village from a height of 150 metres approximately.
As a result of the murder scandal known as the ‘affaire des poisons’ (poison affair) which rocked France during the 17th century, several infamous lady poisoners were chained up in the ’prison des dames’ of the chateau Fort Liberia.
Following the trial of the *Marquise de Brinvilliers, who had conspired to poison her father and brothers in order to inherit their estates, there was paranoia amongst the nobility, due also to a number of other mysterious deaths. Louis XIV himself become alarmed and had his servants taste all his food before eating. There followed a period of hysterical pursuit of murder suspects, during which a number of prominent people were implicated and sentenced for poisoning and witchcraft.
Many of the condemned were transferred to France’s safest fortresses such as Salses, Fort les Bains and chateau Fort Liberia, where they were chained up and imprisoned for life. - in: http://www.anglophone-direct.com/Chateau-Fort-Liberia

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