A town of the Petite Camargue at the southern tip of the Gard, Aigues-Mortes (Aigas Mòrtas in Occitan) is famous for its intact medieval walls and its salt works, at the heart of three Natura 2000 sites.
History
A Roman named Peccius is said to have laid out the first salt pans, hence the name of the Peccais marsh. Around 1240 Louis IX obtained the site from the monks of Psalmody abbey to give the kingdom a Mediterranean port; he had the Tour de Constance and the Tour Carbonnière built. The crusades of 1248 and 1270 left from here. The walls were completed under Philip III and Philip IV.
To see
- Ramparts and Tour de Constance
- Place Saint-Louis
- Aigues-Mortes salt works
- Tour Carbonnière (Saint-Laurent-d’Aigouze)
Practical
Tourist office on Place Saint-Louis. The salt works are reached by the D46, south-east of town.
Places
- Tour de ConstanceMonuments
- Remparts d’Aigues-MortesMonuments
- Salins d’Aigues-MortesNature sites