The largest and oldest church of the Zutphen is the St. Walburgis (Saint Walpurga) church, which originally dates from the 11th century. The present Gothic building contains monuments of the former counts of Zutphen, a 14th-century candelabrum, an elaborate copper font (1527), and a monument to the Van Heeckeren family (1700).
The chapter-house of library contains a pre-Reformation library which includes some valuable manuscripts andincunabula. It is considered one of only 5 remaining medieval libraries in Europe (the other 4 being in England and Italy). The old books are still chained to their ancient wooden desk, a habit of centuries ago, dating from the times when the library was a 'public library' and the chains prevented the books from being stolen.
References:The Château de Foix dominates the town of Foix. An important tourist site, it is known as a centre of the Cathars. Built on an older 7th-century fortification, the castle is known from 987. In 1002, it was mentioned in the will of Roger I, Count of Carcassonne, who bequeathed the fortress to his youngest child, Bernard. In effect, the family ruling over the region were installed here which allowed them to control access to the upper Ariège valley and to keep surveillance from this strategic point over the lower land, protected behind impregnable walls.
In 1034, the castle became capital of the County of Foix and played a decisive role in medieval military history. During the two following centuries, the castle was home to Counts with shining personalities who became the soul of the Occitan resistance during the crusade against the Albigensians.