Communauté de communes du Pays de Couiza
| Communauté de communes du Pays de Couiza | |
|---|---|
| Aude ( Occitania - France ) | |
| Establishment date | November 29, 2000 |
| Dissolution date | December 31, 2016 |
| legal form | Communauté de communes |
| Seat | Couiza |
| Communities | 24 |
| president | Henri Barbaza |
| SIREN number | 241 100 429 |
| surface | 291.4 km² |
| Residents | 4,280 (2013) |
| Population density | 15 inhabitants / km² |
 Location of the CC du Pays de Couiza in the Aude department. |
|
The Communauté de communes du Pays de Couiza is a former French association of municipalities with the legal form of a Communauté de communes in the Aude department in the Occitania region . It was founded on November 29, 2000 and comprised 24 municipalities, including all 22 municipalities in the canton of Couiza and two municipalities in the canton of Limoux . The administrative seat was in the place Couiza , from which the name is derived.
Historical development
With effect from January 1, 2017, the community association merged with the Communauté de communes du Limouxin (before 2017) and thus formed the successor organization Communauté de communes du Limouxin . Despite having the same name as the previous organization, it is a start-up with a different legal personality.
Former member parishes
geography
The association of municipalities is located in the southwest of the Aude department and the Corbières mountain range . The most important rivers are the Aude and the Agly . The landscape is mostly hilly to mountainous. Large parts are forested and only a small part is used for agriculture. The lowest point at 211 meters above sea level. d. M. is located in the municipality of Montazels on the Aude river; the highest point is at 1230 meters above sea level. d. M. the Pic de Bugarach in the area of the municipality of the same name. Most places themselves are at heights between 200 and 450 meters above sea level. d. M. The climate is largely influenced by the Pyrenees . In summer, the maximum daily temperatures rarely exceed 30 ° C. In winter it is significantly colder, although snowfalls and degrees of frost are also possible. Most of the precipitation falls in the winter months.
history
Because of its remote location and its inaccessible landscape, the region has never played a significant role in French history; even during the Albigensian Crusades (1209–1229) and the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) it was off the beaten track. However, the later ducal family of Joyeuse , whose members were considered the most bitter opponents of the Protestants during the Huguenot Wars (1562–1598) , came from Couiza.
economy
While the east of the Corbières is a relatively well-known wine-growing region in France, viticulture is no longer possible in the west - except in the area around Couiza and Limoux (see Crémant de Limoux , Blanquette de Limoux ). The inhabitants live to a large extent from field and pasture farming, from retail trade and handicrafts as well as from hiking and recreational tourism.
Attractions
The landscape offers many attractive aspects but only a few cultural highlights. The main cultural attractions in the region are the two late medieval-style castles ( châteaux ) of Couiza and Arques . The town of Rennes-le-Château has achieved a dubious fame among Grail seekers and esotericists of all kinds in the last few decades .