Overview

This 26-meter (85-foot) high tower is one of only two surviving towers (the other is the Tour des Pins) of the medieval city ramparts that once encircled the city. In the 18th Century the tower was transformed into an observatory by the Académie Royale des Sciences in order to study a total eclipse of the sun. The tower subsequently underwent various modifications including the construction of the distinctive turrets and upper lodge, and the opening of the lower gateway in 1795. Today the tower serves as a meeting place for the astronomical society of the region.