The Aude is a river of southern France that is 224 kilometres (139 mi) long. Its source is in the Pyrenees mountains then runs to Carcassonne and finally reaches the Mediterranean Sea near Narbonne. The river is navigable by raft or canoe for nearly all of its length. It is registered as essential to the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
The Aude at Carcassonne
The fortified city of Carcassonne and the old bridge crossing the Aude river at night
The source of the Aude in the commune of Les Angles, near Lac d'Aude
The Aude at Matemale
Carcassonne is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, region of Occitania. It is the prefecture of the department.
Aerial photograph of the Cité de Carcassonne
Miniature depicting Cathars being expelled from Carcassonne in 1209
Expansion of the Frankish Empire: Blue = realm of Pepin the Short in 758; Orange = expansion under Charlemagne until 814; Yellow = Marches and dependencies; Red = Papal States.
This medieval drawing of Carcassonne from 1462, discovered by Jean-Pierre Cros-Mayrevieille in the Gaignières collection of the Bibliothèque Royale, had a major influence on the project to restore Carcassonne. It reinforced Viollet-le-Duc's idea that all of the towers were topped with conical roof trussing.
