In legend, how did Dame Carcas trick besiegers?

She threw a well-fed pig over the walls

Cité de Carcassonne Quiz: Medieval Towers and Double Walls

This Cité de Carcassonne quiz climbs the ramparts of southern France's great walled city. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on its double walls and towers, the Cathar crusade siege of 1209, the legend of Dame Carcas, Viollet-le-Duc's restoration and pointed roofs, the Château Comtal, the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire, UNESCO and Bastille Day fireworks.

Start Cité de Carcassonne Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Region
Which part of France is Carcassonne in?
Walls
How many lines of walls surround the Cité?
Towers
About how many towers stand along the walls?
Siege
Which crusade besieged Carcassonne in 1209?
Legend
In legend, how did Dame Carcas trick besiegers?
Restore
Who led the restoration from the 1850s?
Roofs
Which restoration choice is still debated?
Castle
Which castle stands inside the Cité?
Church
Which basilica in the Cité has fine stained glass?
UNESCO
When was Carcassonne listed by UNESCO?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which part of France is Carcassonne in?
Answer: The south, in Occitanie
It lies in the Aude department.
Q2: How many lines of walls surround the Cité?
Answer: Two
They run about 3 kilometers.
Q3: About how many towers stand along the walls?
Answer: 52
They give a fairy-tale skyline.
Q4: Which crusade besieged Carcassonne in 1209?
Answer: The crusade against the Cathars
Simon de Montfort later ruled it.
Q5: In legend, how did Dame Carcas trick besiegers?
Answer: She threw a well-fed pig over the walls
They thought the city had plenty of food.
Q6: Who led the restoration from the 1850s?
Answer: Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
He also restored Notre-Dame.
Q7: Which restoration choice is still debated?
Answer: Pointed slate roofs on towers
Some say local roofs were flatter.
Q8: Which castle stands inside the Cité?
Answer: Château Comtal
It has its own walls.
Q9: Which basilica in the Cité has fine stained glass?
Answer: Saint-Nazaire
It mixes Romanesque and Gothic styles.
Q10: When was Carcassonne listed by UNESCO?
Answer: 1997
Millions visit each year.

Double Walls, Towers and a Debated Restoration

The Cité de Carcassonne in southern France is a hilltop fortress city ringed by two lines of walls running about 3 kilometers, with 52 towers. People have fortified the hill since Roman times, and the medieval walls made it one of Europe's great strongholds.

In 1209, during the crusade against the Cathars, the city was besieged and fell, later coming under Simon de Montfort. A popular legend says that during an earlier siege, Dame Carcas threw a well-fed pig over the walls, convincing attackers the city had plenty of food, and they gave up.

By the 1800s the Cité was crumbling. From the 1850s, architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc led a restoration, adding pointed slate roofs to many towers, a choice still debated. Inside stand the Château Comtal and the Basilica of Saint-Nazaire. Carcassonne became a UNESCO site in 1997 and hosts dazzling Bastille Day fireworks.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

How the Cité is defended
Which sieges it faced
Which legends surround it
How it was restored
What stands inside

Did You Know?

A popular board game is named after the city.
Cassoulet is the region's hearty bean stew.
The lower town, Bastide Saint-Louis, was built in the 1200s.
Jousting shows are held in summer.
The Canal du Midi passes through the lower town.