What is Carcassonne?
{{otheruses}} {{Infobox French commune |name = Carcassonne |native name = ''Carcassona'' |commune status = [[Prefectures in France|Prefecture]] and [[Communes of France|commune]] |image = 1 carcassonne aerial 2016.jpg |caption = Panorama of the [[Cité de Carcassonne]] |image coat of arms = Blason Carcassonne Ville Haute 11.svg |arrondissement = Carcassonne |canton = [[Canton of Carcassonne-1|Carcassonne-1]], [[Canton of Carcassonne-2|2]] and [[Canton of Carcassonne-3|3]] |INSEE = 11069 |postal code = 11000 |mayor = Gérard Larrat<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carcassonne.org/le-conseil-municipal |title=Le Conseil Municipale |publisher=Ville de Carcassonne |language= |accessdate=22 March 2017 |date= }}</ref> |term = 2014–2020 |intercommunality = Carcassonne |coordinates = {{coord|43.21|2.35|format=dms|display=inline,title}} |elevation m = 111 |elevation min m = 81 |elevation max m = 250 |area km2 = 65.08 |population = 45941 |population date = 2014 |website = [http://www.carcassonne.org/ www.carcassonne.org] }} '''Carcassonne''' ({{lang-oc|Carcassona}}) is a [[Defensive wall|fortified]] [[France|French]] town, in the ''[[Aude|Aude département]]'', [[Occitanie]] [[Regions of France|region]]. It is separated into the fortified ''Cité de Carcassonne'' and the more expansive lower city, the ''ville basse''. This [[bastide]], which was thoroughly restored from 1853 by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, was added to the [[UNESCO]] list of [[World Heritage Site]]s in 1997. ==History== [[File:cathars expelled.JPG|200px|thumbnail|[[Cathar]]s being expelled from Carcassonne in 1209]] [[Roman Empire|Romans]] fortified the hilltop of Carcassonne around 100 [[Anno Domini|BC]] and eventually made it the ''[[colonia]]'' of ''Julia Carsaco'', later ''Carcasum''. The main part of th