SALSES FORTRESS

The fortress of Salses is a unique monument located on the border between France and Spain, at the crossroads of two eras, the Middle Ages and the modern era.
At the beginning of the Renaissance, when the powers were clashing over Italian territory, Ferdinand II, King of Aragon, and Isabella the Catholic, Queen of Castile, had a fortress built between 1497 and 1503 on the border with the Kingdom of France. The fortress of Salses is a transitional structure between the medieval castle and the bastioned fort, capable of withstanding modern artillery.
It was definitively conquered by the French in 1642, and the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 16 November 1659 confirmed the definitive attachment of Roussillon to France. Assigned to the Ministry of Culture since 1930, the building is managed by the Centre des monuments nationaux.
Last tickets on sale 45 minutes before closing time for self-guided tours, 1 h 15 before closing time for guided tours.