Tour des
thieves
18 m high, pentagonal on the outside, square on the inside, with walls 2 to 5 m thick, the TOUR DES VOLEURS was the defensive tower at the north-western corner of the medieval town.
Surrounded by a first rampart in 1291, access is via a covered walkway.
The Tour des Voleurs was also the site of seigniorial justice and one of the city’s prisons, hence the presence of :
- the torture chamber, authentic, with its
dungeon
five-meter-deep dungeon and
trap,
a winch used to suspend prisoners to extract confessions, as well as the stones attached to their feet, - the
guard room,
on the upper floor, where you could watch them being interrogated ( “questioned”), with a collection of torture instruments.
House of
winegrower
The tower communicates with a VINE GROWER’S HOUSE (1563), which backs onto the fortifications and is partly converted.
It features :
- the
kitchen
with its antique utensils, a
bedroom
with its furniture and wall decor, the
cellar
and
cellar
where various tools and objects recall the work of the cooper and winemaker (documentary film on barrel-making). - From
new window displays
evoke the
vineyard
The sale of these renowned wines has enabled winegrowers over the centuries to build their stone and timber-framed houses, which still add to the town’s charm.
A temporary exhibition is on display. To find out more about it
click here
