Castelnaudary

Castelnaudary lies in the Lauragais, between Toulouse and Carcassonne. The construction of the Canal du Midi gave the town an important harbour on the waterway linking the Atlantic basin with the Mediterranean. Its Grand Bassin was already a stopping place by 1674, while the canal was still being built. Boats could gather in the broad basin below the town before continuing through the locks and along the canal.