Foix

Foix: medieval castle

Foix, town, capital of Ariège département, Occitanie région, southwestern France, located in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Situated 1,250 feet (380 metres) above sea level, at the fork where the Arget River joins the Ariège, it is dominated by its medieval castle, which stands on a high rock. The restored (19th-century) castle has three towers (12th–15th century) and some ruined walls. A museum is housed in the keep. When the town was the capital of the counts of Foix, the castle resisted repeated sieges (1212–17) by the Norman crusader Simon de Montfort but was taken by King Philip the Bold of France in 1272. Modern Foix is a market town and tourist centre. Pop. (1999) 9,109; (2014 est.) 9,721.