13 February 2008

Château of Roquebrune - the Fort

This area, with a curved ceiling, is the lower part of the fort. (see the diagram posted yesterday). You can see part of the Round Walk, where we were yesterday, on the top left hand of the photograph.

From the end of the XVth century the Grimaldis attempted to increase the donjon's military power by digging out large, wide artillery loopholes in the thick walls. however, they soon had to face reality: the battery of cannon that could be placed in a semi-circle on the rock face dominating the north side of the fortress, deprived it of its ancent invulnerability. You can these loopholes, from the outside, in THIS PHOTOGRAPH.

Below you see one of the channels cut into the walls. Cannon was rolled down these channels onto the invaders below. You can see one of these (not the one I photographed) on the extreme right and in the part of the photo flooded with sunlight.

Tomorrow, we'll enter the donjon.

9 comments:

  1. Nice photos of a powerful castle and strong walls.

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  2. this tour of the chateau is brilliant!

    and HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MENTON DP!

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  3. Very interesting. . .I'm enjoying this tour. Funny thing: I'm writing a piece about El Morro for my writing class. It's fun to compare the two castles. . . .

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  4. May you and all your sweet four legged valentines enjoy a delightful day, Jilly. :)

    ______ ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ______

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  5. Very lovely. Thanks for providing so much information. I enjoyed so much. Happy Valentines Day.

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  6. the tour for the last few days is so interesting.

    it somehow reminds me of the French gameshow which i forgot the name.

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  7. The tour of the chateau is fantastic! Thank you for the wonderful photos and information.

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  8. You're always welcome, dear Jilly, and I'm happy if I can answer your questions, even if I am not very skilful myself...
    About photos, the little one must be posted first, then you post the large one, then you might be able to start writing just on the right of the little one . There is a small space between the two photos. It works for me without doing anything special...
    Bonne Saint Valentin!

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  9. Am looking through all your photos and Chateau of Roquebrune looks like an interest place to visit.


    I wonder what life was like back then, with no electricity or free flowing water; trapped inside the castle for days.

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