Castres

France

Castres is a commune, and arrondissement capital in the Tarn department and Occitanie region in southern France. It lies in the former French province of Languedoc.

Castres is (after Toulouse, Tarbes and Albi) the fourth-largest industrial centre of the predominantly rural Midi-Pyrénées région and the largest in that part of Languedoc lying between Toulouse and Montpellier.

CountryFrance
RegionOccitanie
DepartmentTarn
CantonCastres-1, 2 and 3
Government
 Mayor (2020–2026)Pascal Bugis
Area198.17 km2 (37.90 sq mi)
Population (2017-01-01)41,636
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)

Castres today

Castres is experiencing economic dynamism thanks to the growth of Pierre Fabre Laboratories , the industrial sector of Mélou, in particular the manufacturer of machine tools Cornac, now Renault Automation, and subsequently Comau France (FIAT group) and various companies such as Somalu and Pierre Benne establishment .

In addition, the campus (around 1,500 students), the IUT Paul-Sabatier Toulouse III and the ISIS engineering school make it possible to improve research in sectors such as chemistry, health, IT, mechanical,  etc.

The city has an ice rink, an equestrian center, a golf course, a campsite, an athletics stadium, a rugby team (5 times French champion). Tourism is increasing and the Goya and Jaurès museums experienced a peak in attendance in 2011 (around 75,000 visitors).

Geography

Castres is located at an altitude of 172 metres (564 feet) above sea level. It is located 45 km (28 mi) south-southeast of Albi, the préfecture (capital) of Tarn, and 79 km (49 mi) east of Toulouse, the capital of Midi-Pyrénées.

The Thoré forms most of the commune’s south-eastern border, then flows into the Agout, which forms part of its western border.

Economy

The principal industries are mechanical and electrical engineering, machine tools, wooden furniture, granite, textile, fur and leather-dressing, tanning, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and selective breeding of cows.

Traditional and polluting industries such as textile, tanning, fur and leather-dressing, or chemicals, are in sharp decline. However, a multinational pharmaceutical group (Pierre Fabre Group) emerged in the town in the 1960s, and it has kept its headquarters and R&D division in the metropolitan area, helping to counterbalance the general decline in industry.

Transport

The Gare de Castres railway station is served by regional trains to Mazamet and Toulouse.

Air Transport

The airport Castres-Mazamet has regular flights to Paris . There are also seasonal flights to Ajaccio . 

Main sights

The church of Saint Benoît, once the cathedral of Castres, and the most important of the churches of Castres today, dates only from the 17th and 18th centuries. The city hall occupies the former bishop’s palace, designed in the 17th century by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, and with gardens designed by André Le Nôtre . The Romanesque tower beside it (Tour Saint Benoît) is the only survival of the old Benedictine abbey. The town possesses some old mansions from the 16th and 17th century, including the Hôtel de Nayrac, of the Renaissance.

Hôtel de Nayrac

Castres possesses the renowned Goya Museum, created in 1840, which contains the largest collection of Spanish paintings in France. A Jaurès Museum was also opened in 1954 in the house where Jean Jaurès was born in 1859.

The Jardin botanique Pierre Fabre “La Michonne” is a private botanical garden and conservatory that can be visited.

Other buildings
  • The Church of the Ecumenical Center, rue Van Gogh de Lameilhé .
  • The Notre-Dame-d’Espérance church , boulevard Giraud de Lardaillé.
  • The Saint-Joseph-de-Laden church , boulevard Pierre Mendès France.
  • The church of Saint-Martial de Camarens, chemin de Saint-Martial.
  • The Saint-Vincent-de-Paul church, avenue De Gaulle.
  • The Sainte-Thérèse church, rue des Bleuets.
  • The Saint-Pierre d’Avits church .
  • The Saint-Étienne church, Chemin de la Bernadiè de Bernadie.
  • Notre-Dame church, route de Campans de Campans.
  • The Saint-Laurent church, rue du Château de Hauterive.
  • Saint-Laurent Church, chemin de l’Eglise Saint-Laurent de Lambert.
  • The Saint-Nazaire church in Mayeneuve.
  • The Saint-Salvy church, rue Saint Salvy de Campelliergue de Puech Auriol.
  • Saint-Hippolyte church in Saint-Hippolyte.
  • The Saint-Martin church, chemin de Tournemire de Tournemire.
  • The Saint-Antoine church, Hameau de la Verdarie de la Verdarié

Nature, parks and gardens

The “green heritage” becomes important since the end of the xx th  century. 

Numerous developments have been made so that the parks and gardens become public spaces for fun, sports and culture.

  • Bishop’s Garden
  • Mail Garden
  • Frascaty Garden
  • Briguiboul Park
  • Gourjade estate and park
  • The Sidobre
Bishop’s Garden

Squares and main markets of Castres

Place Jean-Jaurès

After the assassination of Jean Jaurès in 1914 in Paris, the square was renamed Place Jean-Jaurès in 1920.

The famous mathematician Pierre de Fermat was buried not far from the episcopal palace in the center of what became the Place Royale, built in the 1830s.

It hosts the market on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday mornings, cultural and political events. This square became pedestrianized in 2005, and it has been renovated. It is coated with granite from Sidobre .

Soult Square

This large square at the entrance to Castres is surrounded by many shops and restaurants. Nearby is the Mail garden and the police station. Every December, the market takes place on Place Soult because the Christmas market occupies Place Jean-Jaurès.

The racing cars of the Rallye de la Montagne Noire gather there every year for the start of the event.

Coche d’eau le Miredames: a boat connecting the city center to the Parc de Gourjade

The famous Coche water, built in 1990 on the model of river diligences the xix th  century, made of wood.

The Miredames is a wooden boat built in 1990 on the model of ancient river stagecoaches that traveled the rivers and canals until the end of the xix th  century.  It can carry up to 60 passengers.

The Miredames leaves from the quays of the city center to reach Parc de Gourjade, located 2.5  km from the city center. 

Gastronomy

Castres is at the heart of a region with rich culinary traditions where “good eating” and “healthy eating” are essential. Here, throughout a meal, local specialties are in the spotlight, such as the castraise nougatine: a nougat candy with almonds, coated with an apparatus based on icing sugar and egg whites. eggs called royal icing.

As a starter, of course, a whole range of specific meats such as melsát or bougnette. As a main course, alongside game, duck and cassoulet, we find the pig with the fresinat , pieces of fresh loin and collar cut into cubes and cooked with potatoes.

To accompany all this, there are always the mushrooms of the forests, picked of the day or well dried, which give off even more perfume when enhancing the sauces. For dessert, it’s the poumpet that is generally unanimous …

To find these products, food markets are organized:

  • Place Jean-Jaurès, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, in the morning
  • Halle de l’Albinque on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
  • Lameilhé shopping center, Wednesday morning.

Place de l’Albinque welcomes:

  • a market on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday morning;
  • the flea market on Saturday morning, bazaar, thrift store, clothes and miscellaneous.

Sports

As one might expect of a town of western Occitania nicknamed Ovalie, the main sport in Castres is rugby union, followed religiously by many locals. The local professional club is Castres Olympique.

Other sports training

There is also basketball with the Castres Basket Club, or the American football team , the Wolves de Castres. Ice sports are also represented within the city as well as various martial arts ( Judo -Eï Do Kan with several national titles for example) or combat sports as well as an athletics club benefiting from a structure in the presence of the Travet stadium which hosts many meetings including a French championship event. Finally, the dynamic and historic gymnastics club at Stade Castrais brings together all kinds of disciplines ( GAF , GAM , Trampoline, Tumbling , acrobatic rock ) and represents the city at the highest level. 

Sports facilities and infrastructure

  • Pierre-Fabre Stadium
  • Travet stadium
  • Ice rink and swimming pool of the Archipelago

Contact

CASTRES TOWN HALL
email
mairie@ville-castres.fr
address
Mairie de Castres Rue de l'Hôtel de Ville
phone
+33 5 63 71 58 58