Couiza

Commune in Occitanie, France

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Commune in Occitania, France

Coat of arms

Location of Couiza

(2020–2026) Jacques Hortala^[1]Area

6.77 km² (2.61 sq mi)Population

(2021)^[2]

1,127 • Density170/km² (430/sq mi)Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET) • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)INSEE/Postal code

11103 /11190

Elevation218–563 m (715–1,847 ft)¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Couiza (French pronunciation: [kwiza] ^ⓘ; Occitan: Coisan) is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.^[3] Couiza is a rural commune which has 1,122 inhabitants in 2020. It belongs to the urban unit of Espéraza. Its inhabitants are called Couizanais or Couizanaises.

Couiza is located at the foothills of the Pyrenees, on the road between Limoux, going towards Carcassonne and Quillan, going towards Perpignan. Couiza, in the upper valley of the Aude, is at the foot of the hill leading to Rennes-le-Château. Couiza Listen ( Coisan Listen in Occitan ) is a French commune , located in the South-West of the Aude department in the Occitanie region.

Historically and culturally, the commune is part of the Corbières massif, a limestone chaos forming the transition between the Massif Central and the Pyrenees . Exposed to an altered oceanic climate, it is drained by the Aude, the Sals , and the Antugnac stream. The town has a remarkable natural heritage: a Natura 2000 site (the “hautes Corbières”) and two natural areas of ecological, fauna and flora interest.

Population

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	1,297	—
1975	1,314	+0.19%
1982	1,259	−0.61%
1990	1,287	+0.28%
1999	1,194	−0.83%
2007	1,244	+0.51%
2012	1,155	−1.47%
2017	1,111	−0.77%
Source: INSEE^[4]

Sights

The architectural heritage of the town includes a building protected as a historic monument: the castle, listed in 1913. The Château de Couiza, a 16th-century castle, was built by the Dukes of Joyeuse and is now a hotel and restaurant (Les Ducs de Joyeuse). There is also a good tourist office, another restaurant, two patisseries and a post office. There is also a church in Couiza dedicated to St. Jean the Baptist. The area around Couiza is rich in historic and geographic interest.

Transportation

The railway line from Carcassonne runs here stopping in Limoux and Espéraza on the way but the service is limited. Leaving Couiza the main road (D117) leads to Perpignan. Down to Barcelona or up to Narbonne and the TGV lines across the South of France.

References

^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises (in French). 2 December 2020.
^ "Populations légales 2021". The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
^ Commune de Couiza (11103), INSEE
^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE