Tarascon-sur-Ariège
Medieval town with its Castella Tower, the Prehistoric Park and its historic centre at the crossroads of the Ariège valleys.
Medieval · Prehistory360° Virtual Tours · Historical & Prehistoric Sites
Palaeolithic caves, Cathar castles, megaliths and mines — an immersive journey into the heart of the Ariège Pyrenees.
Enter the toursThe tours present photos from 2013 and 2014, taken during walks in Ariège, without any deep knowledge of photography or 360° panorama creation.
These images remained hidden, victims of a failing hard drive, only to be reborn ten years later after access was regained under improbable circumstances.
This is the precious heritage I was able to restore and share here — an intimate project in service of collective memory.
Medieval town with its Castella Tower, the Prehistoric Park and its historic centre at the crossroads of the Ariège valleys.
Medieval · PrehistoryMajor site of Magdalenian cave art with its Palaeolithic rock paintings and representations of prehistoric animals.
Cave art · PalaeolithicKarstic cave in the Ariège valley, testimony to the geology and limestone formations of the Pyrenees.
Geology · KarstPalaeolithic archaeological site with prehistoric remains and Magdalenian lithic industry of great richness.
Archaeology · MagdalenianMedieval fortress and military architecture dominating the valley, witness to Pyrenean defensive art.
Medieval · ArchitectureMining industrial heritage, ancestral iron ore exploitation and witness to the Ariège steel industry.
Industrial heritageKnown locally as a 'dolmen' on tourist signs, this site is actually a natural karstic block whose shape resembles a dolmen. Nicknamed 'the Palet de Samson', it is a geological curiosity, not a true megalithic monument.
Natural curiosity · GeologyMedieval bastide and architectural heritage, fortress dominating the Pyrenean valleys from its rocky spur.
Medieval · BastideGothic architecture and legend-filled medieval bridge, witness to the ancestral art of building in the Pyrenees.
Gothic · LegendsCathar castle and site of historical resistance, witness to the Albigensian crusade and Ariège Catharism.
Cathar · HistoryFor any question about the tours, the featured sites, or to share information about Ariège heritage, feel free to write.
Ariège · Occitanie · France