Preferred Land Status 1283 (≈ 1283)
Royal tax exemption for Quercorb.
XIe–XIIIe siècles
Golden age of troubadours
Golden age of troubadours XIe–XIIIe siècles (≈ 1350)
Poetry and local music exhibited.
années 1990
Creation of the museum
Creation of the museum années 1990 (≈ 1990)
Founded by the Community of Chalabrais communes.
2014
Change in management
Change in management 2014 (≈ 2014)
Supported by the Pyrénées Audoises.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Jean de Bruyère - Lord of Puivert
Obtained privileged status in 1283.
Philippe III le Hardi - King of France
Grant the tax exemption to Quercorb.
Origin and history
The Quercorb Museum, located in Puivert in the department of Aude, is dedicated to the preservation of the arts, popular traditions and know-how of the Quercorbès natural region. This region, located to the west of the Aude bordering the Ariège, is marked by three valleys (Blau, Hers, Ambronne) and a rich medieval history, notably linked to the seigneurial family of Puivert. The name Quercorb could mean rock to crows or curved rock, evoking its Pyrenean relief.
The museum was founded in the 1990s by the Community of Communes of Chalabrais, and since 2014 is managed by the Community of Communes of the Pyrénées Audoises. It occupies one of the oldest houses in Puivert and offers exhibitions on various themes: traditional cuisine, iron and wood work, medieval musical instruments, troubadours, and local history, including catharism and the status of the privileged land granted to the Quercorb by Philip III the Hardi in 1283.
Its spaces include a barn transformed into a temporary exhibition venue, an orchard with old trees and distillation tools, and an audiovisual room featuring films about crafts and rural life. The museum is also for school students with thematic visits to Puivert Castle, 19th century crafts and troubadour music (XI–XIII centuries).
The Quercorbès region, historically linked to resistance against the English (especially in 1283 with Jean de Bruyère), received a royal tax exemption until the Revolution. This heritage is highlighted through objects, poems and reconstructions, offering a complete panorama of life and local crafts throughout the centuries.
