Montolieu

Montolieu
Commune
A general view of Montolieu
Coat of arms
Location of Montolieu
Montolieu Show map of France Montolieu Show map of Occitanie
Coordinates: 43°18′36″N 2°12′57″E
Country	France
Region	Occitania
Department	Aude
Arrondissement	Carcassonne
Canton	La Malepère à la Montagne Noire
Intercommunality	Carcassonne Agglo
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Bernard Lauret[1]
Area ^1	23.65 km^2 (9.13 sq mi)
Population  (2021)[2]	828
• Density	35/km^2 (91/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	11253 /11170
Elevation	123–407 m (404–1,335 ft) (avg. 200 m or 660 ft)
Website	montolieu-livre.fr
^1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km^2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Montolieu (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃tɔljø] ^ⓘ; Occitan: Montoliu) is a commune in the Aude department of southern France.

Village of books

Sometimes referred to as the "Village of Books", Montolieu contains fifteen bookshops^{[as of?]}, mostly specializing in secondhand and antique books.^[3][4] Many artists also live and work in Montolieu, with five workshops^{[as of?]} and galleries of painters and sculptors and three photographers' studios^{[as of?]}. The commune also contains a cactus garden, the Cactuseraie d'Escaïre-Figue. In 1990, Michel Braibant, a bookbinder in Carcassonne, came up with the idea of a Village of Books in Montolieu, inspired by the Welsh Hay-on-Wye.^[3] He created the association Montolieu Village du Livre and founded the Musée des Arts & Métiers du Livre ("museum of book arts & crafts).^[4]

Population

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1968	896	—
1975	837	−0.97%
1982	852	+0.25%
1990	807	−0.68%
1999	786	−0.29%
2009	766	−0.26%
2014	861	+2.37%
2020	833	−0.55%
Source: INSEE[5]

References

1. "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
2. "Populations légales 2021" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 28 December 2023.
3. "Montolieu: The French village dedicated to books". bbc.com. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
4. "This Charming European Town Has Just 821 Residents – and It's Become a Magnet for Book Lovers". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
5. Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE

External links

• Official website