Journées européennes du patrimoine

The week-end of 21-22 September 2008 was the Journées européennes du patrimoine or Heritage days of Europe. All the government buildings are free open to the public all the week-end all over Europe. For me, I take this opportunity to visit some villages in district of Aveyron and and district of Lot (both in France).
First we planned to visit Villefrance-de-Rouergue, a commune in the district of Aveyron.
We heard beautiful stories from our guide. The Count of Toulouse builded this "bastide" to control and populate his lands. At the end of the Albigensian Crusade from the northern "barons" against the southern Occitania on a religious pretext (fighting the Cathar heresy), the Count of Toulouse was defeated and concluded the treaty of Paris in 1229. By this treaty he gave the Rouergue county to his daughter who became the wife of Alphones de Poitiers, brother of Saint Louis, king of France. Alphonse founded Villefranche on the place of an old village called La Peyrade in 1252.