The « Médiévales des Baux »

Catapult shooting

The most spectacular event ever at the Château des Baux de Provence! Three real catapults - the trebuchet, the couillard and the bricole - are fired every day in front of fascinated visitors. When conquering fortified towns in the Middle Ages, the armies frequently used catapults. These machines made it possible to breach impregnable castle walls, but handling them required accuracy and strength. Today the Château des Baux de Provence is reviving the atmosphere of those sieges in the grand setting of the Baux citadel. The exceptional size of these machines means they can shoot more than 200 metres!

Crossbow shooting

UNIQUE IN EUROPE! At the foot of the Château walls, in the dry moat, visitors are invited to test their dexterity with crossbow shooting. Supervised by qualified staff, they can put themselves in the shoes of an archer in the Middle Ages. Inside a shooting gallery that recreates the conditions of archers in the Middle Ages (shooting through a loophole or from a turret), visitors have to hit a target 30 metres away!
The crossbows used are exact replicas of those from the period: compound crossbows from the 15th century, English crossbows from the 14th century, English compound crossbows from the 14th century, arbalests from the 13th and 15th centuries and two tower ballistas from the 13th century.
Crossbows adapted to size are available for children over 5.
This gallery is run by Les Ateliers d’Alix.

The medieval duel

Visitors can learn how to handle weapons and medieval combat techniques in this historical and entertaining show where a knight and the Lord of Baux de Provence battle against one another.