Why UNESCO bid for the 'Cathar castles' is causing anger in south-west France

With France bidding to expand its list of UNESCO world heritage sites, an application for the stunning and mysterious Cathar castles of south-west France has stirred anger among locals, as Helen Massy-Beresford reports.

"Garderem los castéls Catars!” runs the slogan in the southern French Occitan language: “let’s keep the Cathar castles!”.

While France waits to find out if eight spectacular castles in the far south west of the country will be added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, a vocal group of local people is worried that renaming them the Languedoc Royal Fortresses is a blow to local identity.

France is hoping that the group of mostly ruined castles, scattered over the rugged landscapes of the Aude and Ariège departments in south west France will, after a long-running deliberation process, be added to UNESCO’s list of World Heritage Sites, helping secure their future and boost local development too.

The decision is expected July 26th, along with the decision on a separate application for UNESCO status for the D-Day landings beaches in Normandy.