Château et ville : Actes des Rencontres d'archéologie et d'histoire en Périgord, les 28, 29 et 30 septembre 2001

It was time to look into this monumental couple – Castles and cities – which is still present in the landscapes of most European countries even if, more often than not, it is drowned, submerged even, within big urban areas where neither the primitive castle nor the original city would recognise their place of birth or where their first rendezvous took place, far from prying eyes, in a barely-cleared, still invasive land. By submitting the study of these two partners united for better or worse throughout the centuries, the scientific council of the Rencontres wished to shed light on the main reasons for their union or their cohabitation before retracing the major moments of living together, from the ordinary tensions to the long-lasting disagreements, a prelude to amicable breakups or divorces generating passionate drama made of destructions beyond repair.

(A.-M. Cocula)