Castres is the birthplace of Jean Jaurès, the famous socialist leader at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.
The city is also famous for its museum dedicated to the painter and sculptor Francisco Goya.
With a population of over 43,500, Castres is the third largest industrial center in the Midi-Pyrénées region after Toulouse and Tarbes.
The Agout River flows through Castres from north to south, giving it a slight resemblance to Venice.
The Church of Saint-Benoît, which was once Castres Cathedral, is a must-see, as is the town hall, which occupies the former episcopal palace.
The city is also famous for its rugby team, Castres Olympique, which plays in the Top 14, the Laboratoires Pierre Fabre and the 8th RPIMA.
A little history...
Originally specializing in luxury fabrics, Castres' textile industry turned to more ordinary types of fabrics in the face of competition.
In the 19th century, there were 50 wool mills in the city, employing 3,000 people.
At the end of the 19th century, mechanical engineering industries emerged in addition to the textile and earthenware industries.
This enabled Castres to become an important military arsenal during the First World War.
Castres was connected to the French rail network in 1865.
At the end of the 19th century, Castres was the largest city in the Tarn department, with 5,000 more inhabitants than Albi.
The city enjoyed economic growth thanks to the expansion of Laboratoires Pierre Fabre, a major French pharmaceutical and dermocosmetics group, the Mélou industrial sector, notably the machine tool manufacturer Cornac, which became Renault Automation and later Comau France, and various companies such as Somalu and the Pierre Benne establishments, SEPPIC SEPIPROD of the Air Liquide group.
The campus has around 1,500 students, and the Paul Sabatier Toulouse III University Institute of Technology and the ISIS engineering school are helping to improve research in sectors such as chemistry, health, IT, and mechanics.
Tourism is one of the city's assets, and the Goya and Jaurès museums are very popular.
The Agout River contributes to the city's charm.
The river was once the lifeblood of the city of Castres.
Since the Middle Ages, these houses have been the main place of activity for the people of Castres.
These craftsmen's houses were home to various trades such as tanners, dyers, parchment makers, paper makers, and weavers.
All these houses have medieval foundations with barrel or ogival openings.
The cellars, called “caoussino” in Occitan, open onto the river and had wash houses.
The most famous of the Castrais was born on September 3, 1859.
A brilliant student and exceptional graduate of the École Normale Supérieure, Jean Jaurès began his career as a philosophy teacher.
A writer and journalist, he entered politics at an early age and, at twenty-six, became the youngest member of parliament in France.
Concerned about the economic and social issues of his time, Jean Jaurès intervened in 1892 during the great miners' strike in Carmaux, which he defended.
From then on, he became the spokesperson for the entire working class, putting his eloquence and his pen at the service of social progress.
And the C.O. ...
Castres Olympique, or CO, has been participating in the French Top 14 Rugby Championship since 1989.
Four-time French Rugby Champion in the 1st division, winner of the French Cup, the League Cup, and the European Shield in 2003.
CO is the only rugby club in the Tarn region to have regularly participated in the European Cup and to have been in the 1st division from 1989 to the present day.
Pierre Fabre's constant commitment has made CO a major French club.
Mairie de Castres
1 Rue de l’Hôtel de ville
BP 10406
81108 Castres CEDEX
Tél. : 05 63 71 58 58
