Limoux (; ) is a commune and

subprefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Counties of Albania, Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several Districts of Albania, district ...

in the

Aude Aude ( ; ) is a Departments of France, department in Southern France, located in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region and named after the river Aude (river), Aude. The departmental council also calls it " ...

department, a part of the ancient

Languedoc The Province of Languedoc (, , ; ) is a former province of France. Most of its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in Southern France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately . History ...

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

and the present-day Occitanie

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

in southern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Its vineyards are famous for being first to produce

sparkling wine Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While it is common to refer to this as champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that word for products exclusively produced in the Champagne ( ...

known as Blanquette de Limoux.

Geography

Limoux lies on the river Aude about due south of

Carcassonne Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department. ...

. In February 1965, it absorbed the former commune Vendémies. Limoux has two railway stations on the line to Carcassonne: Limoux station and Limoux-Flassian station.

Population

Blanquette de Limoux

Blanquette de Limoux is produced around the city of Limoux. The main grape of the wine is Mauzac, followed by Chardonnay and

Chenin blanc Chenin blanc (, ; known also as Pineau de la Loire among #Synonyms, other names) is a white wine grape variety from the Loire Valley (wine), Loire Valley of France (wine), France. Its high acidity (wine), acidity means it can be used to make var ...

. Wine historians believe that the world's first sparkling wine was produced in this region in 1531, by the monks at the abbey in Saint-Hilaire, Aude.

Culture

The town is perhaps best known for its Winter festival called ''Fecos'' , often referred to (inaccurately) as a Carnival or ''Fête''. It is generally referred to as '' Carnival de Limoux'' in French language. It is known for its British expatriate population. During the French Revolution, demonstrators forced officials to seal the granaries, demanded an end to dues and indirect taxes and then ransacked the tax-collector's offices and threw records into the River Aude.

Images

Image:Limoux cafes France.jpg, Town square Image:France-Carnaval de Limoux2.jpg, Carnival

Sights

The heart of the town is the ''place de la République'', a wide square with some fine stone arcading and a number of timber-framed houses. Limoux straddles the River Aude and the banks are lined with grand houses, especially on the eastern side, the so-called ''Petite Ville'' (lit. "Small City"). While worth visiting in itself, the town is also a good base for discovering the history of the region and is ideally placed for exploring the coast, the mountains and some good walking country.

Markets

* Weekly market every Friday (or Thursday if a public holiday falls on a Friday). * Flea market or ''Brocante'' the first Sunday of each month on the Promenade du Tivoli. * Evening markets on Tuesdays in July and August.

Other sights

* The Musée Petiet (Tourist Information Office), * Musée du Piano (Museum of the piano) * CathaRama (a history of the Cathar movement). * Winery tours at Sieur d'Arques and Aimery. * Jardin aux Plantes la Bouichère - Flassian, 2 hectares of gardens which is home to various collections of increasingly rare plant varieties. Currently closed, updated May 2024.

Personalities

Limoux was the birthplace of: * Francis de Gaston, Chevalier de Levis (1719–1787),

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

* Alexandre Guiraud (1788–1847), poet, dramatic author and novelist

Climate

References

External links

Aude in photos: Limoux (163 photos)

{{Authority control Communes of Aude Subprefectures in France Languedoc Aude communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia