Built on the right bank of the River Aude, the City is made up of a fortified centre, the chateau Comtal and a double surrounding wall. The outside one, with 14 towers, is separated from the interior wall, with 24 towers, by the lists. Abandoned when it lost its strategic importance after the annexation of Roussillon, the city seemed condemned to ruin when Prosper Merimee drew attention to it. With a taste for the medieval style, Viollet-Le-Duc was then entrusted with the restoration.