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This building has been standing in Montpellier for over 250 years but very few people know its history. In 1740, the States of Languedoc voted an annual gratuity of 600 pounds for the construction of an observatory tower on the ramparts.
The original architectural elements have been preserved and people still live in it today. When you go in there is a small, you can see a pretty courtyard and restaurant.
The building was completed in 1745 when it was used by the Academy of Sciences, then the Royal Society of Sciences from 1757 to 1761.
On January 1, 1832, the Chappe telegraph was installed on the roof of the building meaning that for 23 years, until the invention of the wire telegraph, in 1855 the roof of the building was crowned with two large articulated arms to send coded messages to Paris.
The Tour de la Babote is a vestige of the old 12th-century fortifications surrounding Montpellier. On December 26, 1783, a certain Sébastien Lenormand, inventor of the parachute, was said to have tested his invention by jumping from the building.
La Tour de la Babote, Montpellier
La Tour de la Babote, Montpellier
La Tour de la Babote, Montpellier
La Tour de la Babote, Montpellier
La Tour de la Babote, Montpellier
La Tour de la Babote, Montpellier
La Tour de la Babote, Montpellier
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