Carcassonne Property Guide

The oxymoron of Carcassonne is its two towns: the Medieval Cité and the Bastide Saint-Louis for one is very old and one is more modern, thus making Carcassonne a modern old place. The Cité, a medieval fortified town of rambling ramparts, has been of strategic importance since Roman times. The Bastide Saint-Louis meanwhile was built in the 13 th century, then modernised in the 18 th and 19 th century and is shaped like a chessboard with rigid rows of boulevards. Both are a delight to see.

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Access
Located in the Aude department of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, Carcassonne stands at the crossing between two major traffic routes in use since Antiquity (the route leading from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean and that from the Massif Central to Spain, skirting the Pyrenees). Carcassonne airport is situated 20mins from the centre.

History
The history of Carcassonne dates back as far as the first traces of man: 6th century BC. Around 300BC, the Volques Tectosages were in control, gradually followed by the Romans, the Visigoths, the Saracens and the Franks, all of whom helped to create what is now known as the Medieval Cité, a fascinating fortress with 2 rings of walls and 52 towers.

In 1262, under the successive reigns of Louis IX, Philippe Le Hardi and Philippe Le Bel, The Bastide Saint-Louis was built on the left bank of the river Aude and was quick to assert its contemporary status in contrast to the preserved royal architecture of the Cité. It bustled with activity whilst the Cité started to decline.

These two towns lived apart for many years and often had great conflict. For example, in 1531, the Cité remained Catholic whilst The Bastide converted to Protestantism, thus inducing a number of bloody battles. However, in 1800, they were finally united and in 1849 La Cité was saved from total ruin by Viollet-le-Duc, a famous French architect and Jean-Pierre Cros-Mayrevieille, a historian and a citizen of Carcassonne, whose restorations ensured the town became classified as a Historical Monument on the World Heritage List.

The two towns now work together in welcoming more than 3 million visitors per year.

(The history of Carcassonne is re-told in a novel by Kate Mosse called ‘Labyrinth’)

Activities
There is always something different to do in Carcassonne. Highlights throughout the year are as follows:

April: Jazz Week: 5 nights of Jazz for 40 euros, held at Jesuit College Chapel, which has recently been restored and specially fitted out for optimum acoustics

21 st June: Music Festival to celebrate the longest day of the year

14 th July: World-famous firework display across the whole Cité in memory of the celebration hosted in honor of the ‘Cadets de Gascogne,’ a group of the most prominent members of international literature, art and politics, who visited in 1898 (the Cité was originally set ablaze using Bengal lights).

July: Cité Festival: 20-25 shows of theatre, dance, opera and concerts, held in the Théâtre Jean Deschamps

July: Bastide Festival: 70 free shows of plays and concerts

August: Spanish Week: A celebration of Spanish culture

September: Nautical Jousts on the Canal du Midi with lively music

October: Cité Marathon

December: Christmas market, with Medieval-style Nativity scene and open-air skating rink

Other moments of the year meanwhile can be filled with visits to the vast selection of museums. For example: the exhibition on the restoration of the Cité in the fortress itself, the memorial house of Joë Bousquet (a French poet who lived as an invalid and invited all the major painters, poets and scholars of the first half of the 20 th century to visit him), the Museum of Fine Arts (exhibiting European pictures of the 17 th, 18 th and 19 th centuries), the cultural centre in memory of former soldiers, the Museum of Chivalry, Arms and Archery, the Museum of the Middle Ages, the School Museum (a reconstruction of a classroom in old times, with documents, furniture and school material from the time of Jules Ferry), and the Museum of Jean Beaubois, a famous French painter.

A trip to the seaside is totally feasible, being only a 1hr drive or even a day spent skiing, with the Font Romeu ski slopes only a 2h drive. There are also plenty of boat rides available, and the Lac de Cavayère is a must-see, where major attractions include: a health resort, an amusement park, miniature golf, fishing, nature trails, a Bird Island, water sports and beach volleyball.

The list goes on, including: Basilica of Saint-Nazaire (a cathedral from the 11 th and 14 th century), Pech Mary (the perfect spot to watch the world’s largest birds of prey) , train tours of the Medieval City’s turrets and ramparts and tours in horse-drawn carriages.

Weather forecast

Food
The most famous delicacy in Carcassonne is Cassoulet , a slow-cooked casserole with ‘lingot’ beans, ‘confit d’oie’ (goose conserve), garlic, pork, sausage, rind, mutton and partridge. Other specialities are the Picholine olives and ‘Saucisse de Toulouse à la languedocienne’ (sausages sautéed in goose fat and served with tomato, parsley and capers).

Wine
‘Blanquette’ and ‘Crémant,’ the sparkling white wines of Limoux (a vineyard 30mins south of Carcassonne) are the most famous local wines. Blanquette is an extremely bubbly wine (notorious for popping its cork) and Crémant is made from Chardonnay and Chenin varieties. The Minervois and Corbière wines are local favourites also.

Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Carcassonne. All of our agenst In Languedoc-Roussillon are registered French estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: flat, gite, B&B, villa, castle or mansion, we will do our best to find a property in Carcassonnes matching your requirements.