Salon-de-Provence, from the Château de l’Empéri to the fountains

L’Empéri, the castle of the Archbishops of Arles

The castle stands on the Puech rock above the houses. Its walls, towers and fortified entrance recall the time when the Archbishops of Arles were also the lords of Salon. The name Empéri refers to the overlordship of the Holy Roman Emperors over this territory.

Beyond the forecourt, the courtyards bring you closer to the façades and galleries. The upper-storey windows and arcades show that this fortress was also a residence, enlarged and altered over the centuries.

Every summer, the castle courtyard also hosts concerts by SALON, the international chamber music festival founded in 1993.

The terrace after the 1909 earthquake

The north terrace looks out over the roofs of the old town. It owes its existence to a loss: a tower weakened by the 1909 earthquake was demolished with explosives. The cleared space became this viewpoint over the houses and bell towers.

To reach the terrace, you cross the courtyards and the medicinal herb garden. Created in 2003, the garden displays plants associated with Nostradamus’s recipes. It is a modern creation, rather than the physician’s original garden.

The collections of the Musée de l’Empéri

Inside, the Musée de l’Empéri presents the history of the French armies through the collections assembled by Raoul and Jean Brunon. Uniforms, weapons, equipment and soldiers’ memorabilia trace changes from the Ancien Régime to the First World War.

See the practical information below for arrangements for visiting the collections.

Nostradamus in Salon

Nostradamus was born in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in 1503. He settled in Salon in 1547, started a new family and worked on his publications, including the Prophecies. His house, now a museum, stands in the streets near the castle. In 1564, Charles IX and Catherine de’ Medici visited Salon during the royal court’s journey through France.

The old gates and the Fontaine Moussue

The Bourg-Neuf gate preserves a passage through the former town walls. Further on, the Clock Tower rises above another entrance, its dial visible over the houses at the end of the street. These passages lead into the old town from the broad streets that border it.

On Place Crousillat, café terraces surround the Fontaine Moussue. Two basins, one above the other, lie beneath the vegetation. Limestone deposits from the water and growing moss have gradually changed its appearance, forming the rounded mass that overhangs the lower basin.

Continuing through Salon’s streets

With its fountain squares, café terraces and shopping streets, Salon’s old town evokes a smaller Aix-en-Provence, more modest and less monumental. Leave time to wander around Place Crousillat and return towards the Clock Tower, with the castle towers rising above the roofs.