Château de Foix

Overlooking the town of the same name, Foix Chateau was built on a seventh-century fortification. The current construction dates from the tenth century with two square towers and the round tower added in the twelfth and fifteenth centuries respectively.
In the early thirteenth century, the castle became a refuge for Cathars during the Albigensian Crusade. Its one-time residents include Count Gaston III, author of the famous Livre de la Chasse (Book of Hunting).

After being used as a political and civil prison for four centuries until 1862, Foix Chateau is now home to a museum detailing the history of Ariège from ancient times to the present day.