Puilaurens

Puilaurens
region	Occitania
Department	Aude
Arrondissement	Limoux
Canton	La Haute-Vallée de l'Aude
Community association	Pyrénées Audoises
Coordinates	42 ° 49 ′  N , 2 ° 18 ′  E Coordinates: 42 ° 49 ′  N , 2 ° 18 ′  E
height	399-1,420 m
surface	33.38 km 2
Residents	271 (January 1, 2017)
Population density	8 inhabitants / km 2
Post Code	11140
INSEE code	11302
View from the castle to Lapradelle

Puilaurens is a French commune with 271 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2017) in the Aude department in the Occitanie region . It belongs to the Arrondissement of Limoux and the canton of La Haute-Vallée de l'Aude .

geography

The municipality is located around 60 kilometers west of Perpignan and 45 kilometers south of Carcassonne on the border with the neighboring department of Pyrénées-Orientales . Neighboring municipalities to Puilaurens are:

• Saint-Julia-de-Bec in the north,
• Saint-Louis-et-Parahou in the northeast,
• Candiès-de-Fenouillèdes in the east,
• Fenouillet and Gincla in the southeast,
• Salvezines in the south,
• Axat in the west as well
• Saint-Martin-Lys and Belvianes-et-Cavirac to the northwest.

The municipality extends north and south of the main valley, which runs east through the Fenouillèdes , a former comarca of northern Catalonia . The Boulzane River ends here its upper reaches coming from the south and also swings to the east.

There are three larger settlements: The place Puilaurens itself is the historical center, which was created for strategic reasons in the southern mountainous region below the Puilaurens castle . Lapradelle is a modern settlement that lies directly in the main valley and also houses the municipal administration, the place Lavagnac is on the northern side of the valley. The municipality also likes to call itself Lapradelle-Puilaurens , although this is not the official name.

Transport links

The commune is mainly served by the D117 département road which runs from Perpignan to Quillan . A railway line runs in the same relation, but today it is only of touristic importance and ends behind Axat at the Saint-Martin-Lys gorge .

Population development

year	1968	1975	1982	1990	1999	2009	2016
Residents	378	257	222	219	236	258	268

Inner courtyard of the castle ruins

Attractions

• Château de Puilaurens , Cathar fortress from the 10th century - Monument historique
• Tourist train Train du Pays Cathare et du Fenouillèdes with railway viaduct at Lapradelle

Web links

Commons : Puilaurens  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Web presence on the website of the community association (French)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Château de Puilaurens in the Base Mérimée of the French Ministry of Culture (French)