Montolieu (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃tɔljø] ; Occitan: Montoliu) is a commune in the Aude department in southern France.
Sometimes referred to as "Village of Books", Montolieu contains fifteen bookshops, mostly specializing in second-hand and antiquarian books. Many artists also live and work in Montolieu, with five workshops and galleries of painters and sculptors and three photographers' studios. It also contains a substantial cactus garden, the Cactuseraie d'Escaïre-Figue. In 1989, Michel Braibant, a bookbinder in Carcassonne, initiated the Village of the Book in Montolieu. He created the Association "Montolieu Village du Livre", and founded the Arts and Crafts Museum of the Book.
Each year, Montolieu welcomes over 52,000 visitors. Additionally, 2,000 students from primary and high schools discover Montolieu's workshops. Today, Montolieu offers the following:
Since its creation, Montolieu Village du Livre has facilitated the continuation and development of many shops and services, allowing its economy and employment to thrive. These include bars, restaurants, coffee shops and bed-and-breakfast places, a market place, a tobacco/newspaper store, a baker, a hairdresser, a pre-school and a primary school, doctors and a drugstore, a swimming pool, a campsite, tennis courts, a soccer field, some organic farmers, and an organic vegetable vending machine, and fifteen bookstores, seven artists' workshops and seven craftspeople of the book.
