Château de l'Empéri

The Château de l'Empéri (in Provençal Occitan: Castèu de l'Empèri) is a 9th-century castle built on the rock of Puech which dominates the immense plain of Crau in the commune of Salon-de-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône département of France. It is listed as a monument historique (historical monument) by the French Ministry of Culture since 1956.

The castle was the residence of the archbishops of Arles as well as the Holy Roman emperors. It is from the latter that the castle derives its name of the Empire which at this time included the East bank of the Rhône River. During 1481, at the time of the junction with Provence, it came under the power of kings of France. Arranged and embellished during the 15th and 16th centuries it was used as jails and barracks after the Révolution time. Hardly damaged by an earthquake in 1909, the buildings were restored by the Monuments Historiques during 1926 and hosted the museum of the old Salon, before hosting now the present museum of Art and History Military.

In the Empéri stayed several kings and queens of France. Francis I and his court, Louis XIV. In 1660 Catherine de' Medici came to consult Nostradamus, the famous astrologer would have predicted the throne for her three sons and the accession of her nephew, the future king Henri IV.

The castle contains faithful representations of the various army corps from the Napoleonic Wars to the present day in its museum. The museum also contains a copy of a bed belonging to Napoleon I at Saint Helena.

In front of the castle is the Centuries Plaza (French: Place des Centuries) leading into the Church of Saint-Michel.

The lycée adjacent to the Château also bears the name of « l'Emperi ». In Past times, this school prepared its pupils for the Air Force military school of Salon-de-Provence, passing which students can opt to join the Air Force or, if it interests them, attempt to join the prestigious Patrouille de France based in Salon. Currently, it is a rather prestigious lycée with programs in L, S, and ES, along with a Maths and Sciences prepa.

The Lycée de l'Empéri is also known for its catering services; several television programmes cover the famous annual Christmas dinner at the Lycée, to such an extent that the grounds are restricted between 14:00 and 15:00 hours to give the students a chance to have their meal.

Text adapted from “Château de l'Empéri” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Château de l'Empéri ranks #5,527 of 8,764 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #478 of the 675 mapped in France. Founded c. 850, it is older than 95% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 72 atlas entries founded in the 9th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,139 times in the last 60 days, more than 52% of the atlas. The nearest day-trip guide is Marseille, 44 km away. See how France compares in the castle statistics.

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