43°13N 2°20E, pop (2000e) 47 100. Ancient city and capital of Aude department, S France, on R Aude and Canal du Midi, in foothills of Pyrenees; railway; bishopric; hosiery, tanning, wine; the Cité (altitude 200 m/650 ft) is the best preserved example of a French mediaeval fortified town, with a double circuit of walls and towers (world heritage site); basilica of St Nazaire (5th-c, rebuilt 11th13th-c), cathedral (late 13th-c, restored 1840), Gothic Church of St Vincent (late 13th-c).
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Commune of Carcassonne The walled city of Carcassonne |
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| Location | |
| Coordinates | 43°13′00″N, 02°21′08″E |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Région | Languedoc-Roussillon |
| Département | Aude (préfecture) |
| Arrondissement | Carcassonne |
| Canton | Chief town of 4 cantons |
| Intercommunality |
Communauté d'agglomération du Carcassonnais |
| Mayor |
Gérard Larrat (2001–2008) |
| Statistics | |
| Altitude |
81 m–250 m (avg. 111 m) |
| Land area¹ | 65.08 km² |
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Population² (1999) |
43,950 |
| - Density (1999) | 675/km² |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 11069/ 11000 |
| ¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > | |
| ² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. | |
Carcassonne (Carcassona in Occitan) is a fortified French town, in the Aude département of which it is the préfecture, in the former province of Languedoc.
Geography
Carcassonne is located 90 km (56 miles) south-east of Toulouse.
History
First signs of settlement in the region have been dated to about 3500 BC, but the hill site of Carsac—a Celtic place-name that has been retained at other sites in the south—became an important trading place in the 6th century BC.
Carcassonne became strategically identified when Romans fortified the hilltop around 100 BC and eventually made it the colonia of Julia Carsaco, later Carcasum.
In 462 the Romans officially ceded Septimania to the Visigoth king Theodoric II who had held Carcassonne since 453;
In 760, Pippin took most of the south of France, although he was unable to penetrate the impregnable fortress of Carcassonne.
In 1067 Carcassonne became, through marriage, the property of Raimond Bernard Trencavel, viscount of Albi and Nîmes.
Carcassonne became famous in its role in the Albigensian Crusades, when the city was a stronghold of French Cathars.
In 1659, the Treaty of Pyrenees transferred the border province of Roussillon to France, and Carcassonne's military significance was reduced.
Main sights
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The fortified city
Carcassonne was struck from the roster of official fortifications under Napoleon and the Restoration, and the fortified cité of Carcassonne fell into such disrepair that the French government decided that it should be demolished.
The fortified city of Carcassonne and the Pont Vieux crossing the Aude riverOther
The bridge, Pont Marengo, crosses the Canal du Midi and provides access to the railway station.
Economy
The newer part (Ville Basse) of the city on the other side of the Aude river manufactures shoes, rubber and textiles.
Miscellaneous
Historically, the language spoken in Carcassonne and throughout Languedoc-Rousillon was not French, but actually the quite different Occitan.
On 6 March 2000, France issued a stamp commemorating the fortress of Carcassonne.
Carcassonne was the starting point for a stage in the 2004 Tour de France and an endpoint in the 2006 Tour de France.
In popular culture
The history of Carcassonne is re-told in fiction, in the novel Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.
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