tip-no-63 | © Bert Schwarz 2022

Monpazier Bastide

Highlights

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The Bastide Monpazier impresses above all with its extraordinary charm. Since its founding in 1284—on behalf of King Edward I of England—it has remained almost true to its original state and today feels like a perfectly preserved journey back in time to the Middle Ages.

House, entrance, front garden, garden chairs | © Bert Schwarz 2021
Timeless aesthetics: Monpazier's almost unchanged architecture since the 13th century.

The Model of the Ideal Fortified Village

While southwest France now counts more than 300 bastides, Monpazier provides an insight into this innovative medieval city type like almost no other place. Strolling through the grid-like streets and alleys reveals the masterful planning. The urban development concept was implemented so consistently that Monpazier is still regarded today as the ideal model of a fortified "wehrdorf."

Passage, women, shop | © Bert Schwarz 2021
Living Middle Ages: The characteristic arcades and alleys of the bastide.