Citadelle de Blaye Gironde

The town of Blaye is best known for its imposing citadel built by François Ferry, under the supervision of that master citadel designer, Vauban, in 1685 to protect the Gironde and the gates of Bordeaux. The atmospheric citadel, covering some 38 hectares, contains the crumbling remains of a Gothic chateau housing the tombs of Charibert II, 7th-century king of parts of today's Aquitaine, and his son of Clotaire II, and a vast expanse of fortifications that are among southwestern France's most spectacular. The main entrance gates, Porte Dauphine and Porte Royale, stand out.