Aude
Encyclopedia
Aude is a department in south-central France named after the river Aude. The local council also calls the department "Cathar Country".
Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine
, and mother of Saint Hubertus
's brother Eudo. Aude was the name of Roland's fiancée
in the chansons de gestes.
. It is the oldest skull known in Europe. It dates from about 450,000 years BCE. It is likely that Tautavel Man lived in all of this region.
The Romans
, led by the consul-general Domitius Ahenobarbus, installed themselves first of all at Narbonne
in 118 BCE on the oppidum of Montlaurès, which became the provincial capital and a very active mercantile port. The position was strategically important since it stood at the cross roads of two Roman roads, the Via Aquitania
and the Via Domitia
, as well as by the sea and near the mouth of the River Aude. Carcassonne became Latin in 30 BCE with the creation of numerous grain farms. For almost two centuries, the Aude enjoyed peace and strong economic growth.
The Visigoths invaded the country in 435 at a time when Flavius Aétius, the Roman senator, was busy repressing the Bagaudes, some brigands from Gaul. In 507, the victory of Clovis I
at the battle of Vouillé
permitted him to conquer Toulouse and Aquitaine. However, he could not recover the territory of the Aude, which remained in the hands of the Visigoths, thanks to the help of the King of the Ostrogoths whose troops defeated Clovis's son in 508. The region was then part of Septimania
, so called because it was composed of seven bishoprics that the visigothic kings had established there : Elne
, Agde
, Narbonne
, Lodève
, Béziers
, Maguelonne et Nîmes
. Septimania covered the Aude but also the whole region of Languedoc-Roussillon.
from Septimania to reunite them with the marquisate of Toulouse
and the kingdom of Aquitaine
. The first count of Carcassonne, Oliba, from the family of the counts of Barcelona
, was established in 819. Razès, another county, was formed by an archbishop of Narbonne who had been chased from his town by Saracens. He had transferred his episcopal seat to Razes and had procured the honours of the feudal title for the area. Narbonne formed a third county. Thus, the Aude department was formed in the ninth century from three counties: Carcassonne, Razès and Narbonne. In 880, the county of Razès was united by marriage to that of Carcassonne, never to be separated.
In the 13th century, the region saw the development of Catharism, a dualistic Christian sect with similarities to Gnosticism
. This religion was very quickly judged to be heretical by the Catholic Church. Faced with its growing strength in the counties of Carcassonne and Toulouse, Pope Innocent III in 1209 declared a crusade
against the Albigensians. The barons of the north united to form an army under the command of Simon de Montfort
. Whereas the count of Toulouse Raymond VI received absolution, the Count of Carcassonne confronted the army alone. The city of Carcassonne became the refuge of numerous Cathars.
In 1561, religious troubles appared at Carcassonne in the form of a Protestant crisis. Duke Henri I de Montmorency, the Governor of the Languedoc, joined the Reformed side in 1574. On the Catholic side, the Duke Anne de Joyeuse
became head of the Catholic League. Henri II de Montmorency
was defeated at the Battle of Castelnaudary
in September 1632 against the royal troops, condemned to death and executed at Toulouse.
The present department is one of the original 83 departments created by the Constituent Assembly
during the French Revolution
on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc
.
Administrative divisions were amended by the Act of 28 Pluviôse of Year 8, which created four districts (reduced to three by Premier Raymond Poincaré
in 1926) and brought the number of cantons from 45 to 31.
The Aude enjoyed strong wine production while grain farmers of the Lauragais
faced great difficulties. However, the department came to experience oversupply and poor sales of wine. In 1907, the crisis produced a winemakers’ revolt. This led to the establishment of many wine cooperatives in the Aude from 1909.
and the Pyrenees
mountains.
It is part of the current region of Languedoc-Roussillon
. It is surrounded by the departments of Pyrénées-Orientales
, Ariège
, Haute-Garonne
, Tarn, and Hérault
, with the Golfe du Lion on the east.
The countryside in this department falls into several natural regions:
Each natural region of the Aude has its own particular landscape. In the east, lagoons or coastal lakes form a barrier between land and sea. These were formed by accumulated sediments brought down by the rivers Aude, Orb
and Hérault
. There are many such lakes of brackish water. This environment is demanding for flora and fauna, as it suffers from the rigours of sea, sun, dryness and floods. Halophile
(i.e., salt-loving) plants grow there and it is also noted for animals such as the pink flamingo
and white stilt
.
Inland to the east, shrub
and scrub
dominate the landscape of the drylands of the Aude and Corbières. This landscape is the result of forest clearance and was maintained by the raising of livestock. The flora is varied and typical with many species of orchids. The Sault countryside is dominated by beech
groves and fir
plantations up to the mountains. These forests are known for their mushrooms and have a rich flora and fauna including the Pyrenean lily, the euproctis
moth and horsetail
of the woods.
To the north and west, the Black Mountain country is made up of forests of oak
and beech
. The Lauragais is a wooded landscape where grain farming has shaped the hills. There are bodies of water like the Lac de la Ganguise
. Finally, the high valley of the Aude, otherwise called the Razès, consists of a riparian forest
made of beech, alder
, poplar
or ash. It includes some peatlands that are very rare in southern France.
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The landscapes of Aude can be explained by geology. In the south, there are sedimentary rocks folded during the formation of the Pyrenees. To the north and centre, the sedimentary rocks are less folded. At the extreme east, near the Mediterranean, the rocks are carved by normal collapse faults which are due to the opening of the Golfe du Lion.
The Black Mountain and Minervois to the north consist of schist
and marble
forming the southern boundary of the Massif Central
. These ancient rocks were formed over 300 million years ago and deformed by the formation of the Hercynian chain. The Montagne d'Alaric (Alaric
's Mountain) is an antiform fold
in the shape of a vault and made of limestone
.
The autumn is characterized by violent and short storms.
The summer is often hot and dry, which is favorable to the culture of the vine and the olive-trees. Yet, the department has several contrasts in climate:
In the north, the Montagne Noire and, in the south, the Pays de Sault, have a mountainous climate with temperatures sometimes very low in winter.
In the west, the climate is under Aquitaine influence with heavier precipitation while in the east the climate is purely Mediterranean.
In the centre, in the Limouxin, Carcassonnais and of Razès areas, the climate is known as intermediary with significant exposure to winds.
The winds are often present in Aude. It is one of the windiest French department, with 300 to 350 days of wind per year.
This phenomenon is mostly due to the variations in relief north and south which create a kind of corridor.
In the north-west blows the Cers
, called Tramontane in Provence, which is a ground wind. It is a dry, somewhat violent wind and cold in winter. In the south-east blows the Autan, locally called the Marin
, which is hot and wet and comes from the sea.
These regular winds made it possible to install a park of wind mills, as in the area of Avignonet-Lauragais.
and Puyvalador
dams on the Capcir
plateau at 1500 m, then crosses the department from south to north across Axat, Limoux and Quillan following the upper valley of the Aude. At Carcassonne, the river changes direction towards the Mediterranean Sea to the east, where it empties near Fleury
.
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Aude is an agricultural land dominated by vineyards. In the east are the wines of Corbieres and la Clape, in the centre
Minervois and côtes de Malpeyre and in the south blanquette de Limoux. In the Lauragais, grain is predominant, whereas in the Black Mountain only sheep farming is possible. More recently, there has been an increase in cultivation of olive trees for their oil.
Port-la-Nouvelle
is the biggest fishing port in the department followed by Gruissan
. In 1996, Aude had 127 vessels including 75 in Port-la-Nouvelle and 52 in Gruissan. These vessels were as follows:
Small craft are recreational boats such as dinghies with one man fishing a lake or motor launches with up to three people fishing in coastal waters. About 85% of small craft are intended for lake fishing as in the lagoon at Thau.
Viticulture
is the main economic activity of the department. The Aude enjoys rich and varied soil. Sunshine abounds and enables the Audois to produce quality wine. Many wines emanate from the department, ranging in quality from table wines to AOC
s, passing through vins de pays and VDQS
.
There are seven main areas of production:
since the late nineteenth century; and the Lafarge
brick plant there is still booming.
Since the 1970s, however, the Aude has seen a rapid decline in its traditional industries such as shoe and hat making. More recent activity, which is mostly around Narbonne
, includes dock
facilities and oil
depots in Port-la-Nouvelle
.
From 1889, the high valley of Aude became increasingly important in generating hydroelectric power. Indeed, Aude was the first department in France to transmit such power, from its plants at Alet-les-Bains
and Quillan
. Joachim Estrade established the first electricity company in France, the Southern Power Transmission Company, in 1901. Its plant at Axat
-Saint-Georges supplied the cities of Carcassonne and Narbonne at 20 kilovolts.
Today, Aude is the first department in France for the number of wind turbines installed. There are 113 in operation. They produce some 91 megawatts, which is the domestic electricity consumption of about 100,000 people. With the proliferation of these machines, the prefecture is seeking to establish with stakeholders a charter of good conduct on wind turbines.
At the last census, the population of Aude represented 0.5% of the French population and 14.1% of the population of Languedoc-Roussillon. It is predominantly rural with a density of 48 inhabitants per km², which is slightly less than half the national average. The two main cities, Carcassonne and Narbonne, are medium-sized cities comprising only one third of the inhabitants of the department.
Demographic change since 1975:
with Spain.
The rail network follows the same route as the road network. It is a low speed system, but a project is under way to build a fast line to Spain as part of the Trans-European Rail network
.
Finally, Aude is crossed by the Canal du Midi
which is a major waterway that allows tourists to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. It comes into the west of Aude at Seuil de Naurouze
then joins the Mediterranean at Sète
.
The people of Aude expressed royalist
opinions until the end of the Bourbon Restoration
. In 1830, republican
ideas began to develop and made this department a bastion of the left
. This growth is symbolized by two men, Armand Barbès
and Theophile Marcou. Armand Barbès is a symbol of the struggle for a social democratic Republic.
Only affluent coastal areas surrounding Narbonne
and the department's prefecture, Carcassonne
give consideration to the right.
The President of the General Council is Marcel Rainaud
of the Socialist Party
.
Between 2000 and 2007, primary school enrollment steadily increased from 28,331 students to 30,491 students At secondary level, the department had 31 colleges and 17 public and private high schools for about 23,000 students in 2006.
Education in Aude now includes teaching in the Occitan language.
costumes (known as 'les fécos') accompanied by musicians. In the region around Limoux, a major celebration of gastronomy, known as ‘Toques et Clochers’ (literally, ‘Hats & Steeples’) and organized by the ‘Vignerons du Sieur d'Arques’, takes place over the weekend of Palm Sunday
. It permits the sale of a large quantity of wine in order to restore the local heritage.
(rugby à XIII) with the teams of Limoux, Carcassonne and Lézignan among the elite. Puig-Aubert (1925–1994) was a famous rugby league player who played with AS Carcassonne. There are numerous amateur rugby league clubs dotted all over the area.
Rugby union
(rugby à XV) is also played in Aude. It appeared early in the twentieth century and the US-Quillan club dominated in the late 1920s. Jean Bourrel won the title in 1929 against Lézignan
. After the Second World War, the Carcassonne team took the lead. Recently, however, rugby union in the Aude has faced an uphill struggle in a sport that has become both globalized and more professional. The Narbonne team (known as Racing Club Narbonne-Mediterranean) has nevertheless managed to develop in the Pro D2 championship.
Every 15 August, in Quillan, an international cycling competition takes place. This is the oldest of such contests in France.
The Tour de l'Aude is one of the most important female cycling events in the calendar. It generally takes place in May.
The fricassee of pork or ‘fréginat’ can be found throughout the department. It is made from pork and pig’s liver. On the coast, eel stew (borrida d’anguilles) is a dish of choice. Finally, the cassoulet
of Castelnaudary, made from white beans and sausage, is the typical dish of the Aude.
Other specialties exist such as oysters of Gruissan
and Leucate
. Olive oil
is also a very widespread in the Aude and is a specialty of Bize-Minervois
. The Cartagena is a liqueur
marketed by some manufacturers. Finally, the Blanquette de Limoux is a sparkling white wine popular in the department, whose origin dates back to the sixteenth century.
used in the south of Gaul
. The name of the department is Aude in Occitan.
In Aude, Occitan was rarely used in writing before the eleventh century. However, several poets and troubadours such as Raimon de Miraval
used language based on courtly love in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the langue d'oc was used to draw up local administrative documents. In the sixteenth century, the langue d'oc was used less in comparison with royal French, whose use was made compulsory by the edict of Villers-Cotterêts
in 1539. However, it survived very well among the people until the nineteenth century, when public schools were established with teaching solely in French.
In the 1970s and 1980s, new demands were made for the dignity of the language and for its teaching. Occitan speech reached a wider audience and singers like Claudi Marti
or Mans de Brèish or La Sauze promoted its use.
has been restored to much of its medieval appearance. Narbonne
is a tourist destination due to its Roman
ruins.
Other towns and villages worth visiting include Limoux
, Quillan
, Lézignan-Corbières
, Lagrasse
, Sigean
and Leucate
.
Limoux
lies in the upper Aude valley, 24 km south of Carcassonne
. It is known for its local wine, Blanquette, a sparkling white wine which is said to have been the forerunner of Champagne. Limoux hosts an extensive and varied market each Friday.
Quillan lies 27 km further south in the upper Aude valley and is at the head of the branch railway from Carcassonne
.
Lezignan-Corbières lies on the main road between Carcassonne
and Narbonne
. It is called the capital of the Corbières and has a Wednesday morning market.
Lagrasse
stands on the River Orbieu
and has an 8th century abbey, two very attractive bridges and an unchanged and very compact and delightful medieval stone village centre.
Sigean
, 18 km south of Narbonne
, lies between the A9 Autoroute and the coast and has an African Reserve
.
Leucate
is a hilltop village, about 30 km south of Narbonne, which has spread down to the coast where Leucate Plage is a popular beach resort.
The Corbières Hills
form the central part of the department. This is an area of dissected plateaux and escarpments which form an effective barrier to direct road communication. It is a very attractive and sometimes wild area of steep hills, hidden valleys, woodland and vines, and contains some of the most memorable Cathar
sites including Quéribus
, Peyrepertuse
and Villerouge-Termenès
.
Wine production is extensive across Aude, and local chateaux and domaines provide free tastings as well as sales of wine and other local produce. With the decline of some local wine production, local government policy is now to attract more tourists to the area, and to assist with this the Corbières area is now labelled on maps and road signs as Cathar
country.
The Aude has about fifteen bastides
which were built after the Treaty of Meaux in 1229 when the region was attached to the Capetian
crown of France. The bastide is a type of town based on a grid created in one building project on a greenfield site. The purpose of such construction was to weaken the local lords and attract people to new economic centres. These bastides came into competition with fortified villages based on ecclesiastical or seigneurial power. Chalabre
, Camps-sur-l'Agly
and the Bastide Saint-Louis in Carcassonne are examples of bastides in the Aude.
The department has many castles that have been developed by the General Council of the Aude to stimulate tourism. The fortresses are often located on rocky peaks, like the castles of Quéribus and Lastours
, giving them a strategic position. The city of Carcassonne was the logistical hub of the country at the time of conflict with the Kingdom of Aragon
.
Many abbeys exist throughout the department of Aude. The best known are Fontfroide Abbey, the abbey of Sainte-Marie Lagrasse
, the abbey of Sainte-Marie Villelongue-d'Aude
or the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire
.
The Cathedral of Saint-Just-et-Saint-Pasteur at Narbonne is a remarkable Gothic cathedral and remains unfinished. It is a symbol of the French presence in the land of Languedoc in the Middle Ages
.
. The Pays de Sault consists of one of the largest limestone areas of the Pyrenees. This geology lends itself to the formation of cavities and there are many ‘barrencs’ (the local name for potholes). This plateau is home to a cave, the TM71, which is a superb cavity classified as a nature reserve since 1987. This is unique in France.
Other natural cavities of the Aude contain concretions like the hole of Cabrespine
, the Aguzou cave or the grotto of Limousis
. The latter contains the largest block of aragonite
yet discovered. In the Massif des Corbières, on the plateau of Lacamp, are special cavities formed by detrital rocks (marls, clays and puddingstone
) carved by erosion
.
Aude is also a frequent feminine French given name in Francophone countries, deriving initially from Aude or Oda, a wife of Bertrand, Duke of Aquitaine
Duke of Aquitaine
The Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of Frankish, English and later French kings....
, and mother of Saint Hubertus
Hubertus
Saint Hubertus or Hubert , called the "Apostle of the Ardennes" was the first Bishop of Liège...
's brother Eudo. Aude was the name of Roland's fiancée
Aude (character)
Aude, or Alda, Alde, was the sister of Oliver and betrothed of Roland in The Song of Roland and other chansons de gestes. The story of her engagement to Roland is told in Girart de Vienne....
in the chansons de gestes.
Prehistory and ancient era
Human traces have been found in the department from 1,500,000 years BCE in the form of hammers and worked tools on the hill of Grazailles at Carcassonne. The most interesting discovery, however, is that of the skull of ‘Tautavel Man’ made by Henry de Lumley in the commune of Tautavel in the Pyrénées-OrientalesPyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
. It is the oldest skull known in Europe. It dates from about 450,000 years BCE. It is likely that Tautavel Man lived in all of this region.
The Romans
Roman Republic
The Roman Republic was the period of the ancient Roman civilization where the government operated as a republic. It began with the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, traditionally dated around 508 BC, and its replacement by a government headed by two consuls, elected annually by the citizens and...
, led by the consul-general Domitius Ahenobarbus, installed themselves first of all at Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 118 BCE on the oppidum of Montlaurès, which became the provincial capital and a very active mercantile port. The position was strategically important since it stood at the cross roads of two Roman roads, the Via Aquitania
Via Aquitania
The Via Aquitania was a Roman road created in 118 BC in the Roman province of Gaul. It started at Narbonne, where it connected to the Via Domitia...
and the Via Domitia
Via Domitia
The Via Domitia was the first Roman road built in Gaul, to link Italy and Hispania through Gallia Narbonensis, across what is now southern France. The route that the Romans regularised and paved was ancient when they set out to survey it, so old that it traces the mythic route travelled by Heracles...
, as well as by the sea and near the mouth of the River Aude. Carcassonne became Latin in 30 BCE with the creation of numerous grain farms. For almost two centuries, the Aude enjoyed peace and strong economic growth.
The Visigoths invaded the country in 435 at a time when Flavius Aétius, the Roman senator, was busy repressing the Bagaudes, some brigands from Gaul. In 507, the victory of Clovis I
Clovis I
Clovis Leuthwig was the first King of the Franks to unite all the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the leadership from a group of royal chieftains, to rule by kings, ensuring that the kingship was held by his heirs. He was also the first Catholic King to rule over Gaul . He was the son...
at the battle of Vouillé
Battle of Vouillé
The Battle of Vouillé or Vouglé was fought in the northern marches of Visigothic territory, at Vouillé, Vienne near Poitiers , in the spring of 507 between the Franks commanded by Clovis and the Visigoths of Alaric II, the conqueror of Spain.Clovis and Anastasius I of the Byzantine Empire agreed...
permitted him to conquer Toulouse and Aquitaine. However, he could not recover the territory of the Aude, which remained in the hands of the Visigoths, thanks to the help of the King of the Ostrogoths whose troops defeated Clovis's son in 508. The region was then part of Septimania
Septimania
Septimania was the western region of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis that passed under the control of the Visigoths in 462, when Septimania was ceded to their king, Theodoric II. Under the Visigoths it was known as simply Gallia or Narbonensis. It corresponded roughly with the modern...
, so called because it was composed of seven bishoprics that the visigothic kings had established there : Elne
Elne
Elne is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.It lies in the former province of Roussillon, of which it was the first capital, being later replaced by Perpignan...
, Agde
Agde
Agde is a commune in the Hérault department in southern France. It is the Mediterranean port of the Canal du Midi.-Location:Agde is located on the river Hérault, 4 km from the Mediterranean Sea, and 750 km from Paris...
, Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Lodève
Lodève
Lodève is a commune in the Hérault département in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:...
, Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
, Maguelonne et Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
. Septimania covered the Aude but also the whole region of Languedoc-Roussillon.
Middle Ages
In 817, Louis le Débonnaire detached Carcassès and RazèsRazès
Razès is a historical area in southwestern France, in today's Aude département.Several communes of the département include Razès in their name:* Bellegarde-du-Razès* Belvèze-du-Razès* Fenouillet-du-Razès* Fonters-du-Razès...
from Septimania to reunite them with the marquisate of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
and the kingdom of Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
. The first count of Carcassonne, Oliba, from the family of the counts of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, was established in 819. Razès, another county, was formed by an archbishop of Narbonne who had been chased from his town by Saracens. He had transferred his episcopal seat to Razes and had procured the honours of the feudal title for the area. Narbonne formed a third county. Thus, the Aude department was formed in the ninth century from three counties: Carcassonne, Razès and Narbonne. In 880, the county of Razès was united by marriage to that of Carcassonne, never to be separated.
In the 13th century, the region saw the development of Catharism, a dualistic Christian sect with similarities to Gnosticism
Gnosticism
Gnosticism is a scholarly term for a set of religious beliefs and spiritual practices common to early Christianity, Hellenistic Judaism, Greco-Roman mystery religions, Zoroastrianism , and Neoplatonism.A common characteristic of some of these groups was the teaching that the realisation of Gnosis...
. This religion was very quickly judged to be heretical by the Catholic Church. Faced with its growing strength in the counties of Carcassonne and Toulouse, Pope Innocent III in 1209 declared a crusade
Albigensian Crusade
The Albigensian Crusade or Cathar Crusade was a 20-year military campaign initiated by the Catholic Church to eliminate Catharism in Languedoc...
against the Albigensians. The barons of the north united to form an army under the command of Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 5th Earl of Leicester
Simon IV de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort-l'Amaury, 5th Earl of Leicester , also known as Simon de Montfort the elder, was a French nobleman who took part in the Fourth Crusade and was a prominent leader of the Albigensian Crusade...
. Whereas the count of Toulouse Raymond VI received absolution, the Count of Carcassonne confronted the army alone. The city of Carcassonne became the refuge of numerous Cathars.
Modern and contemporary ages
Anne de Joyeuse
Anne de Batarnay de Joyeuse, Baron d'Arques, Vicomte then Duke of Joyeuse was a royal favourite and active participant in the French Wars of Religion....
became head of the Catholic League. Henri II de Montmorency
Henri II de Montmorency
Henri II de Montmorency was a French nobleman and military commander.Born at Chantilly, Oise, he was the son of duke Henry I, whom he succeeded in 1614, having previously been made grand admiral...
was defeated at the Battle of Castelnaudary
Castelnaudary
Castelnaudary is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in south France. It is in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capital, and of which it is a major producer....
in September 1632 against the royal troops, condemned to death and executed at Toulouse.
The present department is one of the original 83 departments created by the Constituent Assembly
Constituent assembly
A constituent assembly is a body composed for the purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution...
during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc
Languedoc
Languedoc is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² .-Geographical Extent:The traditional...
.
Administrative divisions were amended by the Act of 28 Pluviôse of Year 8, which created four districts (reduced to three by Premier Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré
Raymond Poincaré was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France on five separate occasions and as President of France from 1913 to 1920. Poincaré was a conservative leader primarily committed to political and social stability...
in 1926) and brought the number of cantons from 45 to 31.
The Aude enjoyed strong wine production while grain farmers of the Lauragais
Lauragais
The Lauragais is an area of southwestern France located south-east of Toulouse....
faced great difficulties. However, the department came to experience oversupply and poor sales of wine. In 1907, the crisis produced a winemakers’ revolt. This led to the establishment of many wine cooperatives in the Aude from 1909.
Location
Aude is located between the Mediterranean SeaMediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
mountains.
It is part of the current region of Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
. It is surrounded by the departments of Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales
Pyrénées-Orientales is a department of southern France adjacent to the northern Spanish frontier and the Mediterranean Sea. It also surrounds the tiny Spanish enclave of Llívia, and thus has two distinct borders with Spain.- History :...
, Ariège
Ariège
Ariège is a department in southwestern France named after the Ariège River.- History :Ariège is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from the counties of Foix and Couserans....
, Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne
Haute-Garonne is a department in the southwest of France named after the Garonne river. Its main city is Toulouse.-History:Haute-Garonne is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc.The...
, Tarn, and Hérault
Hérault
Hérault is a department in the south of France named after the Hérault river.-History:Hérault is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
, with the Golfe du Lion on the east.
Natural regions
- 1 – LauragaisLauragaisThe Lauragais is an area of southwestern France located south-east of Toulouse....
- 2 – Montagne NoireMontagne Noire* Not to be confused with the Montagnes Noires in Brittany.The Montagne Noire is a mountain range in central southern France. It is located at the southwestern end of the Massif Central in the border area of the Tarn, Hérault and Aude departments...
- 3 – Cabardès
- 4 – CarcassonaisCarcassonneCarcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
- 5 – RazèsRazèsRazès is a historical area in southwestern France, in today's Aude département.Several communes of the département include Razès in their name:* Bellegarde-du-Razès* Belvèze-du-Razès* Fenouillet-du-Razès* Fonters-du-Razès...
- 6 – QuercorbQuercorbQuercorb is a small natural region of France in the department of Aude. Historically, it stood between the counties of Foix and Carcassonne. It is a region of small isolated mountains arising from the plain of Chalabre and the plateau of Puivert....
- 7 – Pays de SaultSaultSault is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-References:*...
- 8 – MinervoisMinervoisMinervois is an AOC in the Languedoc-Roussillon wine region. The red wines of the Minervois appellation are produced from Carignan , Grenache, Lledoner Pelut, Mourvedre, and Syrah grapes...
- 9 – CorbièresCorbières, AudeCorbières is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-References:*...
- 10 – Narbonnais
Landscapes
Orb River
The Orb is a 145 km long river in the Herault département of Southern France that flows into the Mediterranean Sea, in Valras-Plage. The river flows through the towns Bédarieux and Béziers, where it is crossed by the canal du Midi on the Orb Aqueduct. In ancient times, the Orb was crossed at...
and Hérault
Hérault River
The Hérault is a river of southern France. Its length is . Its source is in the Cévennes mountains. It reaches the Mediterranean Sea near Agde...
. There are many such lakes of brackish water. This environment is demanding for flora and fauna, as it suffers from the rigours of sea, sun, dryness and floods. Halophile
Halophile
Halophiles are extremophile organisms that thrive in environments with very high concentrations of salt. The name comes from the Greek for "salt-loving". While the term is perhaps most often applied to some halophiles classified into the Archaea domain, there are also bacterial halophiles and some...
(i.e., salt-loving) plants grow there and it is also noted for animals such as the pink flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
and white stilt
Stilt
Stilt is a common name for several species of birds in the family Recurvirostridae, which also includes those known as avocets. They are found in brackish or saline wetlands in warm or hot climates....
.
Inland to the east, shrub
Maquis shrubland
thumb|220px|Low Maquis in Corsica.220px|thumb|High macchia in Sardinia.Maquis or macchia is a shrubland biome in the Mediterranean region, typically consisting of densely growing evergreen shrubs such as holm oak, tree heath, strawberry tree, sage, juniper, buckthorn, spurge olive and myrtle...
and scrub
Garrigue
Garrigue or phrygana is a type of low, soft-leaved scrubland ecoregion and plant community in the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome. It is found on limestone soils around the Mediterranean Basin, generally near the seacoast, where the climate is ameliorated, but where annual summer...
dominate the landscape of the drylands of the Aude and Corbières. This landscape is the result of forest clearance and was maintained by the raising of livestock. The flora is varied and typical with many species of orchids. The Sault countryside is dominated by beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
groves and fir
Fir
Firs are a genus of 48–55 species of evergreen conifers in the family Pinaceae. They are found through much of North and Central America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa, occurring in mountains over most of the range...
plantations up to the mountains. These forests are known for their mushrooms and have a rich flora and fauna including the Pyrenean lily, the euproctis
Euproctis
Euproctis is a genus of moths in the family Lymantriidae.-Species:*Euproctis acatharta Turner, 1906*Euproctis acrita Joicey & Talbot, 1917*Euproctis actor Turner, 1920*Euproctis aganopa Turner, 1921...
moth and horsetail
Horsetail
Equisetum is the only living genus in the Equisetaceae, a family of vascular plants that reproduce by spores rather than seeds.Equisetum is a "living fossil", as it is the only living genus of the entire class Equisetopsida, which for over one hundred million years was much more diverse and...
of the woods.
To the north and west, the Black Mountain country is made up of forests of oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
. The Lauragais is a wooded landscape where grain farming has shaped the hills. There are bodies of water like the Lac de la Ganguise
Lac de la Ganguise
Lac de la Ganguise is a lake in Aude, France. Its surface area is 2.78 km².It lies in the communes of Baraigne, Cumiès, Gourvieille, Belflou and Molleville....
. Finally, the high valley of the Aude, otherwise called the Razès, consists of a riparian forest
Riparian forest
A riparian forest is a forested area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, sink or reservoir. -Etymology:...
made of beech, alder
Alder
Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants belonging to the birch family . The genus comprises about 30 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, few reaching large size, distributed throughout the North Temperate Zone and in the Americas along the Andes southwards to...
, poplar
Poplar
Populus is a genus of 25–35 species of deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, native to most of the Northern Hemisphere. English names variously applied to different species include poplar , aspen, and cottonwood....
or ash. It includes some peatlands that are very rare in southern France.
Geology
The Black Mountain and Minervois to the north consist of schist
Schist
The schists constitute a group of medium-grade metamorphic rocks, chiefly notable for the preponderance of lamellar minerals such as micas, chlorite, talc, hornblende, graphite, and others. Quartz often occurs in drawn-out grains to such an extent that a particular form called quartz schist is...
and marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
forming the southern boundary of the Massif Central
Massif Central
The Massif Central is an elevated region in south-central France, consisting of mountains and plateaux....
. These ancient rocks were formed over 300 million years ago and deformed by the formation of the Hercynian chain. The Montagne d'Alaric (Alaric
Alaric I
Alaric I was the King of the Visigoths from 395–410. Alaric is most famous for his sack of Rome in 410, which marked a decisive event in the decline of the Roman Empire....
's Mountain) is an antiform fold
Anticline
In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is convex up and has its oldest beds at its core. The term is not to be confused with antiform, which is a purely descriptive term for any fold that is convex up. Therefore if age relationships In structural geology, an anticline is a fold that is...
in the shape of a vault and made of limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
.
Climate
Aude is under the influence of a Mediterranean climate.The autumn is characterized by violent and short storms.
The summer is often hot and dry, which is favorable to the culture of the vine and the olive-trees. Yet, the department has several contrasts in climate:
In the north, the Montagne Noire and, in the south, the Pays de Sault, have a mountainous climate with temperatures sometimes very low in winter.
In the west, the climate is under Aquitaine influence with heavier precipitation while in the east the climate is purely Mediterranean.
In the centre, in the Limouxin, Carcassonnais and of Razès areas, the climate is known as intermediary with significant exposure to winds.
The winds are often present in Aude. It is one of the windiest French department, with 300 to 350 days of wind per year.
This phenomenon is mostly due to the variations in relief north and south which create a kind of corridor.
In the north-west blows the Cers
Cers (wind)
The Cers, also called the Narbonnais by those who live southeast of Narbonne, is a very dry wind that is colder during the winter and warmer during the summer. Originating from moist Atlantic air-masses flowing across the Toulouse area, Cers become intensified through the Lauragais gap. They are...
, called Tramontane in Provence, which is a ground wind. It is a dry, somewhat violent wind and cold in winter. In the south-east blows the Autan, locally called the Marin
Marin (wind)
The Marin is a warm, moist wind in the Gulf of Lion of France, blowing from the southeast or south-southeast onto the coast of Languedoc and Roussillon. It brings rain to this region which it has picked up crossing the Mediterranean, and also can bring coastal fog...
, which is hot and wet and comes from the sea.
These regular winds made it possible to install a park of wind mills, as in the area of Avignonet-Lauragais.
Hydrography
The drainage system of the Aude is dominated by its river of the same name. The river rises at the Roc d'Aude and passes through the MatemaleMatemale
Matemale is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
and Puyvalador
Puyvalador
Puyvalador is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France.-References:*...
dams on the Capcir
Capcir
Capcir is a historical Catalan comarca of Northern Catalonia, now part of the French Département of Pyrénées-Orientales. The capital of the comarca was Formiguera, and it borders the historical comarques of Conflent and Alta Cerdanya...
plateau at 1500 m, then crosses the department from south to north across Axat, Limoux and Quillan following the upper valley of the Aude. At Carcassonne, the river changes direction towards the Mediterranean Sea to the east, where it empties near Fleury
Fleury, Aude
Fleury is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:...
.
Overview
| Economically active population by economic sector, 1999 | |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | people |
| Industry | people |
| Construction | people |
| Tertiary sector | people |
Agriculture and fisheries
Minervois and côtes de Malpeyre and in the south blanquette de Limoux. In the Lauragais, grain is predominant, whereas in the Black Mountain only sheep farming is possible. More recently, there has been an increase in cultivation of olive trees for their oil.
Port-la-Nouvelle
Port-la-Nouvelle
Port-la-Nouvelle is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-External links:** Navigation, mooring and the canal....
is the biggest fishing port in the department followed by Gruissan
Gruissan
Gruissan is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:...
. In 1996, Aude had 127 vessels including 75 in Port-la-Nouvelle and 52 in Gruissan. These vessels were as follows:
- trawlers: 19 in Port-la-Nouvelle
- tuna boats: 2 in Port-la-Nouvelle
- small craft: 106 including 54 in Port-La-Nouvelle and 52 in Gruissan
Small craft are recreational boats such as dinghies with one man fishing a lake or motor launches with up to three people fishing in coastal waters. About 85% of small craft are intended for lake fishing as in the lagoon at Thau.
Viticulture
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
is the main economic activity of the department. The Aude enjoys rich and varied soil. Sunshine abounds and enables the Audois to produce quality wine. Many wines emanate from the department, ranging in quality from table wines to AOC
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...
s, passing through vins de pays and VDQS
VDQS
Vin Délimité de Qualité Supérieure , usually abbreviated as VDQS, is the second highest category of French wine, below Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in rank, but above Vin de pays . VDQS is sometimes written as AOVDQS, with AO standing for Appellation d'Origine...
.
There are seven main areas of production:
- the vineyards of Cabardès (1),
- the vineyards of CorbièresCorbières AOCCorbières is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for wine in the Languedoc-Roussillon, and it is this region's largest AOC, responsible for 46 per cent of the region's AOC wine production in 2005. Red wine dominates the production in Corbières with almost 95 per cent, with 3.5 per cent rosé wine...
(6), - the vineyards of the Côtes Malepère near Carcassonne (2),
- the vineyards of the Coteaux du Languedoc in the plain of Narbonnais (5),
- the vineyards of Fitou (7),
- the vineyards of LimouxLimoux wineLimoux wine is produced around the city of Limoux in Languedoc in southwestern France. Limoux wine is produced under four Appellation d'origine contrôlée designations: Blanquette de Limoux, Blanquette méthode ancestrale, Crémant de Limoux and Limoux, the first three of which are sparkling wines...
(3), - and the vineyards of Minervois (4).
Industry and energy
Industrial activity is strong in the upper valley of the Aude. It has been especially prominent around LimouxLimoux
Limoux is a commune and subprefecture in the Aude department, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France...
since the late nineteenth century; and the Lafarge
Lafarge
Lafarge is a French industrial company specialising in four major products: cement, construction aggregates, concrete and gypsum wallboard. In 2010 the company was the world's second-largest cement manufacturer by mass shipped behind Holcim.-History:...
brick plant there is still booming.
Since the 1970s, however, the Aude has seen a rapid decline in its traditional industries such as shoe and hat making. More recent activity, which is mostly around Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
, includes dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
facilities and oil
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
depots in Port-la-Nouvelle
Port-la-Nouvelle
Port-la-Nouvelle is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-External links:** Navigation, mooring and the canal....
.
From 1889, the high valley of Aude became increasingly important in generating hydroelectric power. Indeed, Aude was the first department in France to transmit such power, from its plants at Alet-les-Bains
Alet-les-Bains
Alet-les-Bains is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.-Geography:...
and Quillan
Quillan
Quillan is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Geography:Quillan is located at the foothills of the Pyrenees, on the road between Carcassonne and Perpignan....
. Joachim Estrade established the first electricity company in France, the Southern Power Transmission Company, in 1901. Its plant at Axat
Axat
Axat is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.Axat is a pretty tourist town dituated on the D118 in the high valley of Aude. Surrounded by mountains and gorges, the narrowest Gorges St Georges is only 3 km away. The River Aude runs through Axat making a picturesque setting and a...
-Saint-Georges supplied the cities of Carcassonne and Narbonne at 20 kilovolts.
Today, Aude is the first department in France for the number of wind turbines installed. There are 113 in operation. They produce some 91 megawatts, which is the domestic electricity consumption of about 100,000 people. With the proliferation of these machines, the prefecture is seeking to establish with stakeholders a charter of good conduct on wind turbines.
Crafts
The crafts are very well represented in the Aude, occupying more than 14.6% of the population. Some 5,400 businesses operating in 250 craft professions achieved in the late 1990s an annual turnover of 3 billion francs.Demography
The inhabitants of Aude are known as ‘Audois’. The 1990 census confirmed a growth in population since the 1960s with about 700 people more per year. This growth is explained by the return of pensioners aged over 60 years to their place of origin and to immigration from the Mediterranean basin.At the last census, the population of Aude represented 0.5% of the French population and 14.1% of the population of Languedoc-Roussillon. It is predominantly rural with a density of 48 inhabitants per km², which is slightly less than half the national average. The two main cities, Carcassonne and Narbonne, are medium-sized cities comprising only one third of the inhabitants of the department.
Demographic change since 1975:
| 1975 | 1982 | 1990 | 1999 | 2006 |
| 272 000 | 281 000 | 299 000 | 310 000 | 341 022 |
Transport
Two major roads cross the Aude. From west to east the ‘Autoroute des Deux Mers’ (i.e., ‘Motorway of the Two Seas’) or A61 connects Narbonne and Toulouse via Carcassonne. From north to south, following the Mediterranean coast, the A9 motorway links MontpellierMontpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
with Spain.
The rail network follows the same route as the road network. It is a low speed system, but a project is under way to build a fast line to Spain as part of the Trans-European Rail network
Trans-European Rail network
The Trans-European Rail network is made up of the Trans-European high-speed rail network as well as the Trans-European conventional rail network...
.
Finally, Aude is crossed by the Canal du Midi
Canal du Midi
The is a long canal in Southern France . The canal connects the Garonne River to the on the Mediterranean and along with the Canal de Garonne forms the Canal des Deux Mers joining the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The canal runs from the city of Toulouse down to the Étang de Thau...
which is a major waterway that allows tourists to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. It comes into the west of Aude at Seuil de Naurouze
Seuil de Naurouze
The Seuil de Naurouze, aka Col de Naurouze, is a mountain pass in southern France. It is the watershed point identified by Pierre-Paul Riquet when he designed and built the Canal du Midi. Water falling on the western side of this point flows to the Atlantic Ocean and on the eastern side to the...
then joins the Mediterranean at Sète
Sète
Sète is a commune in the Hérault department in Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France. Its inhabitants are called Sétois....
.
Politics
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
opinions until the end of the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
. In 1830, republican
Republicanism
Republicanism is the ideology of governing a nation as a republic, where the head of state is appointed by means other than heredity, often elections. The exact meaning of republicanism varies depending on the cultural and historical context...
ideas began to develop and made this department a bastion of the left
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
. This growth is symbolized by two men, Armand Barbès
Armand Barbès
Armand Barbès , was a French Republican revolutionary and a fierce and steadfast opponent of the July monarchy . He is remembered as a man whose life centers on two days:...
and Theophile Marcou. Armand Barbès is a symbol of the struggle for a social democratic Republic.
Only affluent coastal areas surrounding Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the department's prefecture, Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
give consideration to the right.
The President of the General Council is Marcel Rainaud
Marcel Rainaud
Marcel Rainaud is a member of the Senate of France, representing the Aude department. He is a member of the Socialist Party.He entered the Senate in August 2006, following the death of Raymond Courrière...
of the Socialist Party
Socialist Party (France)
The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement...
.
| Party | seats | |
|---|---|---|
| • | Socialist Party Socialist Party (France) The Socialist Party is a social-democratic political party in France and the largest party of the French centre-left. It is one of the two major contemporary political parties in France, along with the center-right Union for a Popular Movement... |
26 |
| Union for a Popular Movement Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement is a centre-right political party in France, and one of the two major contemporary political parties in the country along with the center-left Socialist Party... |
4 | |
| • | French Communist Party French Communist Party The French Communist Party is a political party in France which advocates the principles of communism.Although its electoral support has declined in recent decades, the PCF retains a large membership, behind only that of the Union for a Popular Movement , and considerable influence in French... |
2 |
| • | Left Radical Party Left Radical Party The Radical Party of the Left is a minor social-liberal, and in opposition to its common understanding of its name, a moderate centre-left political party in France advocating radicalism, secularism to its french extend known as laïcité, progressivism, pro-Europeanism, individual freedom and... |
1 |
| • | Miscellaneous Left Miscellaneous Left Miscellaneous Left in France refers to left-wing candidates that are not member of any large party. They either include small left-wing parties or dissidents expelled from their parties for running against their party's candidate. Numerous DVG candidates are elected at a local level, and a smaller... |
1 |
| Independent Workers' Party Independent Workers' Party The Independent Workers' Party is a French far-left political party founded in June 2008 after the dissolution of its predecessor, the Workers' Party... |
1 | |
Education
The Aude department in 2008 had 364 primary schools (schools of the first degree) serving 30,771 students.Between 2000 and 2007, primary school enrollment steadily increased from 28,331 students to 30,491 students At secondary level, the department had 31 colleges and 17 public and private high schools for about 23,000 students in 2006.
Education in Aude now includes teaching in the Occitan language.
Festivals and traditions
The Carnival of Limoux is an Audois festival which takes place over a period of ten weeks or more. This is one of the longest carnivals in the world. It takes place in the town of Limoux on the Place de la République every weekend from mid-January to late March. It is characterized by bands in PierrotPierrot
Pierrot is a stock character of pantomime and Commedia dell'Arte whose origins are in the late 17th-century Italian troupe of players performing in Paris and known as the Comédie-Italienne; the name is a hypocorism of Pierre , via the suffix -ot. His character in postmodern popular culture—in...
costumes (known as 'les fécos') accompanied by musicians. In the region around Limoux, a major celebration of gastronomy, known as ‘Toques et Clochers’ (literally, ‘Hats & Steeples’) and organized by the ‘Vignerons du Sieur d'Arques’, takes place over the weekend of Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday
Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter. The feast commemorates Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event mentioned in all four Canonical Gospels. ....
. It permits the sale of a large quantity of wine in order to restore the local heritage.
Sport
Aude is the land of rugby leagueRugby league in France
Rugby league has been played in France since 1934. As with rugby union, the heartland of the game is the south of the country.During the Second World War, in association with the French rugby union, the sport was banned by the Vichy government, an act which the sport has struggled to recover from...
(rugby à XIII) with the teams of Limoux, Carcassonne and Lézignan among the elite. Puig-Aubert (1925–1994) was a famous rugby league player who played with AS Carcassonne. There are numerous amateur rugby league clubs dotted all over the area.
Rugby union
Rugby union in France
Rugby union is the second most popular team sport in France, after association football, and is the dominant sport in most of the southern half of the country. It was first introduced in the early 1870s by British residents. Elite French clubs participate in the professional domestic club league,...
(rugby à XV) is also played in Aude. It appeared early in the twentieth century and the US-Quillan club dominated in the late 1920s. Jean Bourrel won the title in 1929 against Lézignan
Lézignan
Lézignan is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Lézignan, in the Hautes-Pyrénées department* Lézignan-Corbières, in the Aude department* Lézignan-la-Cèbe, in the Hérault department...
. After the Second World War, the Carcassonne team took the lead. Recently, however, rugby union in the Aude has faced an uphill struggle in a sport that has become both globalized and more professional. The Narbonne team (known as Racing Club Narbonne-Mediterranean) has nevertheless managed to develop in the Pro D2 championship.
Every 15 August, in Quillan, an international cycling competition takes place. This is the oldest of such contests in France.
The Tour de l'Aude is one of the most important female cycling events in the calendar. It generally takes place in May.
Gastronomy
Cassoulet
Cassoulet is a rich, slow-cooked bean stew or casserole originating in the south of France, containing meat , pork skin and white haricot beans....
of Castelnaudary, made from white beans and sausage, is the typical dish of the Aude.
Other specialties exist such as oysters of Gruissan
Gruissan
Gruissan is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:...
and Leucate
Leucate
Nestled between the Mediterranean sea and sea pond backing the Corbières mountains with an impressive view on the Canigou peak, Leucate is a community of typical villages lying among a unique natural landscape....
. Olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
is also a very widespread in the Aude and is a specialty of Bize-Minervois
Bize-Minervois
Bize-Minervois is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Geography:Located on the edge of the Haut-Minervois in the Cesse valley, Bize lies between the fertile sedimentary plain of Narbonne and the causses of the Minervois and the Montagne Noire. Bize is situated approximately...
. The Cartagena is a liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
marketed by some manufacturers. Finally, the Blanquette de Limoux is a sparkling white wine popular in the department, whose origin dates back to the sixteenth century.
The Occitan language
The Occitan language is spoken in the Aude in its Languedoc variant. The Occitan language emerged during the High Middle Ages from the LatinLatin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
used in the south of Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. The name of the department is Aude in Occitan.
In Aude, Occitan was rarely used in writing before the eleventh century. However, several poets and troubadours such as Raimon de Miraval
Raimon de Miraval
Raimon de Miraval was a troubadour and, according to his vida, "a poor knight from Carcassonne who owned less than a quarter of the castle of Miraval." Favoured by Raymond VI of Toulouse, he was also later associated with Peter II of Aragon and Alfonso VIII of Castile...
used language based on courtly love in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the langue d'oc was used to draw up local administrative documents. In the sixteenth century, the langue d'oc was used less in comparison with royal French, whose use was made compulsory by the edict of Villers-Cotterêts
Villers-Cotterêts
Villers-Cotterêts is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Geography:It is located NE of Paris via the RN2 facing Laon...
in 1539. However, it survived very well among the people until the nineteenth century, when public schools were established with teaching solely in French.
In the 1970s and 1980s, new demands were made for the dignity of the language and for its teaching. Occitan speech reached a wider audience and singers like Claudi Marti
Claudi Martí
Claudi Martí is an Occitan singer from the Carcassonne region in Occitania. He was one of the main figures of Nòva cançon in the 1970s.- Discography : * Tolosa * Ço Milhor * El jinete...
or Mans de Brèish or La Sauze promoted its use.
Overview
CarcassonneCarcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
has been restored to much of its medieval appearance. Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
is a tourist destination due to its Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
ruins.
Other towns and villages worth visiting include Limoux
Limoux
Limoux is a commune and subprefecture in the Aude department, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France...
, Quillan
Quillan
Quillan is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Geography:Quillan is located at the foothills of the Pyrenees, on the road between Carcassonne and Perpignan....
, Lézignan-Corbières
Lézignan-Corbières
Lézignan-Corbières is a commune in the Aude department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Situated in the Corbières wine region not far from Narbonne, it has a Vine and Wine Museum .-Geography:...
, Lagrasse
Lagrasse
Lagrasse is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.Lagrasse is part of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association .-Geography:...
, Sigean
Sigean
Sigean is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:-Culture:* The Musée des Corbières in Sigean is a museum dedicated to history and archaeology....
and Leucate
Leucate
Nestled between the Mediterranean sea and sea pond backing the Corbières mountains with an impressive view on the Canigou peak, Leucate is a community of typical villages lying among a unique natural landscape....
.
Limoux
Limoux
Limoux is a commune and subprefecture in the Aude department, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France...
lies in the upper Aude valley, 24 km south of Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
. It is known for its local wine, Blanquette, a sparkling white wine which is said to have been the forerunner of Champagne. Limoux hosts an extensive and varied market each Friday.
Quillan lies 27 km further south in the upper Aude valley and is at the head of the branch railway from Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
.
Lezignan-Corbières lies on the main road between Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
and Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
. It is called the capital of the Corbières and has a Wednesday morning market.
Lagrasse
Lagrasse
Lagrasse is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.Lagrasse is part of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association .-Geography:...
stands on the River Orbieu
Orbieu
The Orbieu is a long river in the Aude département, in south central France. Its source is at Fourtou, in the Corbières. It flows generally northeast...
and has an 8th century abbey, two very attractive bridges and an unchanged and very compact and delightful medieval stone village centre.
Sigean
Sigean
Sigean is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:-Culture:* The Musée des Corbières in Sigean is a museum dedicated to history and archaeology....
, 18 km south of Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
, lies between the A9 Autoroute and the coast and has an African Reserve
Game reserve
A game reserve is an area of land set aside for maintenance of wildlife for tourism or hunting purposes. Many game reserves are located in Africa. Most are open to the public, and tourists commonly take sightseeing safaris or hunt wild game....
.
Leucate
Leucate
Nestled between the Mediterranean sea and sea pond backing the Corbières mountains with an impressive view on the Canigou peak, Leucate is a community of typical villages lying among a unique natural landscape....
is a hilltop village, about 30 km south of Narbonne, which has spread down to the coast where Leucate Plage is a popular beach resort.
The Corbières Hills
Corbières (mountains)
The Corbières is a mountain range in the Pre-Pyrenees.-Geography:The Corbières are a mountain region in the Languedoc-Roussillon in southwestern France, located in the departements of Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales....
form the central part of the department. This is an area of dissected plateaux and escarpments which form an effective barrier to direct road communication. It is a very attractive and sometimes wild area of steep hills, hidden valleys, woodland and vines, and contains some of the most memorable Cathar
Cathar
Catharism was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries...
sites including Quéribus
Queribus
The Château de Quéribus is a ruined castle in the commune of Cucugnan in the Aude département of France...
, Peyrepertuse
Peyrepertuse
Peyrepertuse is a ruined fortress and one of the so-called Cathar castles located high in the French Pyrénées in the commune of Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse, in the Aude département, and has been associated with the Counts of Narbonne and Barcelona...
and Villerouge-Termenès
Villerouge-Termenès
Villerouge-Termenès is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:...
.
Wine production is extensive across Aude, and local chateaux and domaines provide free tastings as well as sales of wine and other local produce. With the decline of some local wine production, local government policy is now to attract more tourists to the area, and to assist with this the Corbières area is now labelled on maps and road signs as Cathar
Cathar
Catharism was a name given to a Christian religious sect with dualistic and gnostic elements that appeared in the Languedoc region of France and other parts of Europe in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th and 13th centuries...
country.
Architectural heritage
Bastides
Bastides are fortified new towns built in medieval Languedoc, Gascony and Aquitaine during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, although some authorities count Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban, which was founded in 1144, as the first bastides...
which were built after the Treaty of Meaux in 1229 when the region was attached to the Capetian
Capetian dynasty
The Capetian dynasty , also known as the House of France, is the largest and oldest European royal house, consisting of the descendants of King Hugh Capet of France in the male line. Hugh Capet himself was a cognatic descendant of the Carolingians and the Merovingians, earlier rulers of France...
crown of France. The bastide is a type of town based on a grid created in one building project on a greenfield site. The purpose of such construction was to weaken the local lords and attract people to new economic centres. These bastides came into competition with fortified villages based on ecclesiastical or seigneurial power. Chalabre
Chalabre
Chalabre is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.The capital of the Kercorb is a relatively unspoilt bastide with shady streets and quiet alleyways....
, Camps-sur-l'Agly
Camps-sur-l'Agly
Camps-sur-l'Agly is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
and the Bastide Saint-Louis in Carcassonne are examples of bastides in the Aude.
The department has many castles that have been developed by the General Council of the Aude to stimulate tourism. The fortresses are often located on rocky peaks, like the castles of Quéribus and Lastours
Lastours
Lastours is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.Lastours is located outside Carcassonne, in the valley of the Orbiel. There are 4 small castles each built on a large 300m high rocky ridge. The castles were built to control the access to Montagne Noire and the Cabardes region....
, giving them a strategic position. The city of Carcassonne was the logistical hub of the country at the time of conflict with the Kingdom of Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
.
Lagrasse
Lagrasse is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.Lagrasse is part of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France association .-Geography:...
, the abbey of Sainte-Marie Villelongue-d'Aude
Villelongue-d'Aude
Villelongue-d'Aude is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
or the Abbey of Saint-Hilaire
Saint-Hilaire
-People:* Augustin Saint-Hilaire , a French botanist and traveler* Caroline St-Hilaire , a Canadian politician* Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, , a French zoologist...
.
The Cathedral of Saint-Just-et-Saint-Pasteur at Narbonne is a remarkable Gothic cathedral and remains unfinished. It is a symbol of the French presence in the land of Languedoc in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
.
Speleology
The Aude has many natural and underground caves suitable for speleological explorationSpeleology
Speleology is the scientific study of caves and other karst features, their make-up, structure, physical properties, history, life forms, and the processes by which they form and change over time...
. The Pays de Sault consists of one of the largest limestone areas of the Pyrenees. This geology lends itself to the formation of cavities and there are many ‘barrencs’ (the local name for potholes). This plateau is home to a cave, the TM71, which is a superb cavity classified as a nature reserve since 1987. This is unique in France.
Other natural cavities of the Aude contain concretions like the hole of Cabrespine
Cabrespine
Cabrespine is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:...
, the Aguzou cave or the grotto of Limousis
Limousis
Limousis is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:...
. The latter contains the largest block of aragonite
Aragonite
Aragonite is a carbonate mineral, one of the two common, naturally occurring, crystal forms of calcium carbonate, CaCO3...
yet discovered. In the Massif des Corbières, on the plateau of Lacamp, are special cavities formed by detrital rocks (marls, clays and puddingstone
Puddingstone (rock)
Puddingstone, also known as either Pudding stone or Plum-pudding stone, is a popular name applied to a conglomerate that consists of distinctly rounded pebbles whose colors contrast sharply with the color of the finer-grained, often sandy, matrix or cement surrounding them...
) carved by erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
.
Tourism
According to the general population census of March 1999, 27.8% of available housing in Aude consisted of secondary residences. The following table indicates the main communes in Aude where second homes or occasional residences comprise more than 10% of total housing.| Year | Town | Population | Number of houses | Second homes | % second homes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Leucate Leucate Nestled between the Mediterranean sea and sea pond backing the Corbières mountains with an impressive view on the Canigou peak, Leucate is a community of typical villages lying among a unique natural landscape.... |
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| 2005 | Gruissan Gruissan Gruissan is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:... |
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| 2007 | Fleury Fleury, Aude Fleury is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:... |
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| 2005 | Port-la-Nouvelle Port-la-Nouvelle Port-la-Nouvelle is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-External links:** Navigation, mooring and the canal.... |
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| 2006 | Fitou Fitou Fitou is a large French wine appellation in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The dominant vine variety is Carignan which has to constitute 40% of any blend. Grenache, Lladoner Pelut Fitou is a large French wine appellation in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The dominant vine variety is Carignan which... |
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| 2005 | Belcaire Belcaire Belcaire is a commune in the Aude department, part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France.-Population:-References:*... |
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| 2004 | Roquefort-des-Corbières Roquefort-des-Corbières Roquefort-des-Corbières is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:-References:*... |
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| 2005 | Saissac Saissac Saissac is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Geography:The village is perched in the foothills of the Black Mountain at an altitude of 467 m and boasts stunning views of the Vernassonne Gorge as well as the valley plain which streches between Carcassonne and... |
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| 2006 | Quillan Quillan Quillan is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Geography:Quillan is located at the foothills of the Pyrenees, on the road between Carcassonne and Perpignan.... |
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| 2007 | Sigean Sigean Sigean is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:-Culture:* The Musée des Corbières in Sigean is a museum dedicated to history and archaeology.... |
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| 1999 | La Palme La Palme The Sieur de la Palme was the Governor of Plaisance in the French colony of Newfoundland from 1667 to 1670.-External links:*... |
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| 2005/1999 | Narbonne Narbonne Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea... |
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| 2004 | Salles-d'Aude Salles-d'Aude Salles-d'Aude is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.-Population:-References:*... |
Notable people
- Saint Sebastian (3rd century AD), Christian martyr, according to legend from Gallia NarbonensisGallia NarbonensisGallia Narbonensis was a Roman province located in what is now Languedoc and Provence, in southern France. It was also known as Gallia Transalpina , which was originally a designation for that part of Gaul lying across the Alps from Italia and it contained a western region known as Septimania...
- Léon BlumLéon BlumAndré Léon Blum was a French politician, usually identified with the moderate left, and three times the Prime Minister of France.-First political experiences:...
(1872–1950), politician, Member of Parliament for Narbonne who became Prime Minister in 1936 - Charles TrenetCharles TrenetCharles Trenet was a French singer and songwriter, most famous for his recordings from the late 1930s until the mid-1950s, though his career continued through the 1990s...
(1913–2001), singer and poet born at Narbonne, famous for the song La MerLa Mer (song)Trenet wrote the lyrics of "La Mer" on a train in 1943 while travelling along the French Mediterranean coast, returning from Paris to Narbonne. He supposedly wrote the song in ten minutes, on toilet paper supplied by SNCF. He was assisted with the tune by Leo Chauliac. It was originally published... - Dimitri SzarzewskiDimitri SzarzewskiDimitri Szarzewski is a French rugby union footballer, currently playing for Stade Français in the Top 14 club championship in France. His usual position is at hooker, and he has represented France....
(born 1983), member of French rugby union team
See also
- Cantons of the Aude department
- Communes of the Aude department
- Arrondissements of the Aude department