The restored Tour royale, also known as the tour romaine, is an ancient medieval tower standing tall in the modest village of Gallargues-le-Montueux, France. The tower, originally used as a Roman tower, stands 15 meters tall. In 1830, it was put to a surprising use – it served as a relay for the local telegraph system, known as the Chappe. Chappe telegraphy was one of the earliest optical telecommunications systems. In 1875, the tower was recognized as a historical monument, and from 1832 to 1852, one of the 534 Chappe telegraph systems was housed in the tour royale.
After restoration, carried out by the municipal government between 1987 and 1992, the tower now stands under the supervision of Monuments historiques. On November 6th, 2010, a restored, functional, and complete Chappe telegraph system was reinstated in the tour royale. Today, the restored tower can be found on rue de la Réforme in Gallargues-le-Montueux.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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