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|longitude = 2.352
|longitude = 2.352
|latitude = 43.2131
|latitude = 43.2131
|region = Languedoc-Roussillon
|department = Aude
|arrondissement = Carcassonne
|arrondissement = Carcassonne
|canton =
|canton =

Revision as of 11:35, 26 October 2016

For other uses, see Carcassonne (disambiguation).
Carcassonne
Carcassona
Carcassonne and vineyards
Carcassonne and vineyards
Coat of arms of Carcassonne
Coat of arms
Location of Carcassonne
Map
CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
DepartmentAude
ArrondissementCarcassonne
IntercommunalityCarcassonne Agglo
Government
 • Mayor (2014–2020) Gérard Larrat
Area
1
65.08 km2 (25.13 sq mi)
Population
 (2012)
47,068
 • Density720/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
DemonymCarcassonnais
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
11069 /11000
Elevation81–250 m (266–820 ft)
(avg. 11 m or 36 ft)
Websitewww.carcassonne.org
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Carcassonne (Occitan: Carcassona) is a fortified French town, in the Aude département in the Languedoc. It is separated into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse.

This bastide, which was thoroughly restored from 1853 by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.

History

Cathars being expelled from Carcassonne in 1209

Romans fortified the hilltop of Carcassonne around 100 BC and eventually made it the colonia of Julia Carsaco, later Carcasum. The main part of the lower courses of the northern ramparts dates from Gallo-Roman times.

In 462 the Romans officially left and the Visigothic king Theodoric II built more fortifications at Carcassonne, some of them still stand. In 760, Pippin was unable to take Carcassonne, although he was able to most of the south of France.

In 1067 Carcassonne became 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 occitan cathars. In August 1209 the crusading army of Simon de Montfort forced its citizens to surrender. He added to the fortifications. Carcassonne became a border citadel between France and Aragon.

Geography

The town is 90 km (56 mi) southeast of Toulouse in the gap between the Pyrenees and the Massif Central of France. Carcassonne is at the crossing of two major traffic routes: the route leading from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and that from the Massif Central to Spain, skirting the Pyrenees. Both routes exist since ancient history.

The commune of Carcassonne has an area of 65.08 km2 (25.13 sq mi) and its average altitude is 111 m (364 ft); at the city hall, the altitude is 110 m (360 ft).[1]

Carcassonne and its neighboring communes
Map of the commune of Carcassonne

The commune of Carcassonne is surrounded by the communes:

The fortified city

  • The fortified city of Carcassonne and the Pont Vieux crossing the Aude river
    The fortified city of Carcassonne and the Pont Vieux crossing the Aude river

The fortifications consist of a double ring of ramparts and 53 towers. 1849 the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc took over restoration works. At his death in 1879 his pupil Paul Boeswillwald, and later the architect Nodet continued the rehabilitation of Carcassonne. The restoration was strongly criticized during Viollet-le-Duc's lifetime because he made the error of using slates and restoring the roofs as pointed cones, where local practice was traditionally of tile roofing and low slopes, as in this region snow was very seldom. But today Viollet-le-Duc's work at Carcassonne is thought to be a work of genius, even if it is not exactly the same as it was.

Population

As of 2012, Carcassonne had 47,068 inhabitants for a density of 723.2 persons/km2.[2]

The inhabitants of this city are known, in French, as Carcassonnais (women: Carcassonnaises ).[3]

Education

A campus of the École nationale de l'aviation civile (French civil aviation academy) is in Carcassonne.

Transports

Twinned and partner towns

Carcassonne is twinned with:

  • The Aude river, the old bridge and the medieval city.
    The Aude river, the old bridge and the medieval city.
  • Castle walls
    Castle walls
  • Hôtel de la cité
    Hôtel de la cité
  • Basilica of St Nazarius and St Celsus
    Basilica of St Nazarius and St Celsus

References

  1. ↑ "City of Carcassonne". Map-France.com. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  2. ↑ "Populations lègales 2012 - 11-Aude". Populations légales 2012 des départements et des collectivités d'outre-mer (in French). Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques - INSEE. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  3. ↑ "Aude (11)" (in French). habitants.fr. Retrieved 16 July 2015.

Other websites

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carcassonne.
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