Château d'Usson

Historic site and monument
Historic patrimony
Castle
listed

Elevation : 633m

Hameau de Rouze, 09460 Rouze

Vue du Château d'Usson — ©Sarah Chambard

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Visit the tower with its step into the void

In the 700m² heritage house attached to the Château d'Usson, you'll find a reconstructed traditional mountain dwelling, archaeological artefacts from the castle's ongoing excavations, bearing witness to seigniorial life from the 13th to 18th centuries, and the Dame d'Usson.
Open all year round to groups of 8 or more. Château d'Usson is the oldest of Donezan's two fortresses. It was probably built at the end of the 10th century.
It is a thousand-year-old site that controlled the Aude valley and protected the Donezan region from any incursion. Occupied without interruption until 1794, it was in turn the property and stake of several families, notably the former lords of So and Allion, and still bears clearly visible traces of this long occupation.
The Revolution of 1789 sounded the death knell for the château, which was dismantled stone by stone and used as a quarry by the inhabitants of the nearest villages. It wasn't until 1990 that this legendary site witnessed the first efforts to save it from total ruin.
Today, the lower enclosure houses the Maison du Patrimoine, where 700m2 of exhibits cover the history of the château and Donezan in general. Usson also offers contemporary exhibitions, events and shows, guided tours and access to the top of the tower for a panoramic view of the mountains and the Aude valley.