Ruins or Reconstruction?

Here's a good question: Which do you think is better: to leave an old castle in ruins, or to reconstruct it to look like it did during the time it was used?

Of course, it's more fun to visit a castle that has been reconstructed. It's easier to imagine how people lived here in the old days. But it's not very authentic. How is it different from visiting copies of castles in Disneyland or Las Vegas?

We visited both, here in France. First, we went to Carcassonne. This was a medieval city, with a sturdy, high wall around it, almost impossible to invade. You can see the ramparts - in fact, a double set of thick walls. You can see the slits in the rocks, where the archers shot arrows at attackers. You can see the moat, and the drawbridge, and the portcullis, and the wooden walkways, high above, where the defenders could stand to shoot arrows or drop stones on invaders who tried to scale the walls with ladders.

It is easy to envision Carcassonne's history, when you hear how the Romans first built this fortress, how the Saracens defended this city against Charlemagne in the 800s, and how the Crusaders attacked this city in the 1100s because it was protecting Cathars, who were Christians who had different ways of worshiping than the way approved by Rome.

Carcassonne is probably the best-preserved medieval fortress city in Europe. Many parts of the walls and towers are original. But much of it was reconstructed in the 1800s. Not yesterday, but certainly not during the Middle Ages. And the place is crawling with tourists. Little shops sell lots of plastic swords for kids to play with. So, while Carassonne is awesome, it's also a bit unreal.

By contrast, Les Baux was also once a strong hilltop fortress and castle during the Middle Ages. (It's pronounced 'Lay Bo' but it is also the origin of the word bauxite, a mineral found near here and used to make aluminum.) But when we visited Les Baux, we saw only ruins. We saw authentic stone walls of the castle and the fortress, but it's much harder to imagine what it looked like in its prime. You have to use your imagination. Also, they give you an audio guide, so you can listen to a voice tell you what used to be in each spot, and how people lived.

So - What do you think? Would you rather visit a place like Les Baux, left as it was found? Or Carcassonne, rebuilt to look as it once looked? Please comment!

P.S. This is how prisoners were punished in the Middle Ages; they were put in the stocks and left to stand there for hours. Paul says it is very uncomfortable!