France · Partial ruin
Puilaurens Castle
Château de Puilaurens is a medieval hilltop fortress (a Cathar castle) in Lapradelle-Puilaurens, Aude, France, sited on Mont Ardu above the Boulzane Valley. It served as a refuge during the Albigensian period, was taken into royal hands in the 13th century and heavily fortified under Louis IX and later Philip the Bold, then gradually abandoned after the 17th century; it is a listed monument historique.
First raised
1201
Its prime
1260
Today
Partial ruin
As it stood in 1260
The shape it held in its prime.
Perched on a steep rocky crag above the Boulzane Valley, the castle presents an elongated ridge-top silhouette of interlinked stone curtain walls and flanking towers. The fort crowns the mount with a central courtyard, an attached chapel, and clustered service buildings; roofs over domestic ranges and a defended gateway complete the roofline. At its prime the masonry is intact, battlements continuous along the walls, and access is by a single steep approach path from the valley.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1260.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Puilaurens Castle — including 2 interiors: chapel of saint-laurent, provision and armoury storage. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
See Puilaurens Castle with the fires lit.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1260 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →
