Montolieu

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{{Infobox French commune

|name = Montolieu

|commune status = Commune

|image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Montolieu (Aude).svg

|image = Montaulieu vu du pont.jpg

|caption = A general view of Montolieu

|arrondissement = Carcassonne

|canton = La Malepère à la Montagne Noire

|INSEE = 11253

|postal code = 11170

|mayor = Bernard Lauret{{cite web|title=Répertoire national des élus: les maires|url=https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/r/2876a346-d50c-4911-934e-19ee07b0e503|publisher=data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises|date=13 September 2022|language=fr}}

|term = 2020–2026

|intercommunality = Carcassonne Agglo

|coordinates = {{coord|43.31|2.2158|format=dms|display=inline,title}}

|elevation m = 200

|elevation min m = 123

|elevation max m = 407

|area km2 = 23.65

|population = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_total}}

|population date = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_as_of}}

|population footnotes = {{France metadata Wikidata|population_footnotes}}

|website = {{url|montolieu-livre.fr}}

}}

Montolieu ({{IPA|fr|mɔ̃tɔljø|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-T. Le Berre-Montolieu.wav}}; {{langx|oc|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?|date=November 2024}}, mostly specializing in secondhand and antique books.{{Cite web |title=Montolieu: The French village dedicated to books |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20240226-montolieu-the-french-village-dedicated-to-books |access-date=6 October 2024 |website=bbc.com}}{{Cite web |title=This Charming European Town Has Just 821 Residents – and It's Become a Magnet for Book Lovers |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/montolieu-book-village-france-8304215 |access-date=6 October 2024 |website=Travel + Leisure}} Many artists also live and work in Montolieu, with five workshops{{as of?|date=November 2024}} and galleries of painters and sculptors and three photographers' studios{{as of?|date=November 2024}}. 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. He created the association Montolieu Village du Livre and founded the Musée des Arts & Métiers du Livre ("museum of book arts & crafts).