At the beginning of the 11th century, Guillem Ramon, then Count of Cerdanya, founded the city of Villefranche-de-Conflent with the aim of making it the new capital of the Conflent territory and thus making it quite impossible for potential invaders to access the road to the high plateaux of Cerdanya.
In 1654, the city was besieged and taken by the French. The fortifications were partly dismantled so that they could not be used by the Spaniards. It was not until 1669 that Marshal Vauban, a French military engineer, increased the height of the city ramparts and strengthened them.
Even today, this former merchant city has kept very beautiful traces of its history and its singular defensive position. The fortifications of Villefranche-de-Conflent have been listed since 2008 as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
