Castres is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France.
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25 Facts About Castres
2.
Castres is the fourth-largest industrial centre of the predominantly rural former Midi-Pyrenees region after Toulouse, Tarbes and Albi, as well as the largest in the part of Languedoc lying between Toulouse and Montpellier.
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3.
In 1831, the population of Castres was 12,032, making it the largest town of the department of Tarn.
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4.
The population of Castres reached its peak in 1975, after that it has been decreasing slowly.
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5.
Castres is the centre of a functional urban area with 104,695 inhabitants.
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6.
Castres is located at an altitude of 172 metres above sea level.
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7.
Castres is intersected from north to south by the rivers Agout and Durenque.
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8.
Since 2001, the mayor of Castres has been Pascal Bugis, who defeated the then socialist mayor in the 2001 election after a campaign focused on the bad records of the socialist mayor on fighting crime, and the high level of insecurity in the town.
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9.
Castres has teamed up with the nearby town of Mazamet and the independent suburbs and villages in between to create the communaute d'agglomeration de Castres-Mazamet, which was established in December 1999.
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10.
Castres grew up round the Benedictine abbey of Saint Benoit, which is believed to have been founded in AD 647, possibly on the site of an old Roman fort.
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12.
In 1356, the town of Castres was raised to a countship by King John II of France.
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13.
Castres was one of the largest Protestant strongholds in southern France, along with Montauban and La Rochelle.
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14.
The Protestants of Castres were brought to terms by King Louis XIII in 1629, and Richelieu came himself to Castres to have its fortifications dismantled.
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15.
Castres was turned by the Catholic Church into an active center of Counter-Reformation, with the establishments of several convents in town, and the building of a renowned bishop's palace by Mgr.
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16.
In 1670 however, the Chambre de l'Edit was transferred to Castelnaudary, much to the discontent of even the catholic citizens of Castres, who lost a major source of business and revenue with the departure of the lawyers and the plaintiffs.
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17.
The Revocation of the Edict of Nantes soon followed, and Castres suffered greatly when many Protestants chose to go into exile.
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18.
Castres is crippled by its geographical location, isolated in a dead end at the foot of the Massif Central mountains, away from the main exchange and transport routes.
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20.
The good fortune of Castres is to be located only 79 kilometres away from the very dynamic Toulouse.
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21.
Castres is the hometown of socialist politician and newspaper publisher Jean Jaures, who was murdered in Paris the day before the start of the First World War.
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22.
Castres is intersected from north to south by the river Agout.
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24.
Castres Olympique is the property of local tycoon Pierre Fabre, founder and president of Pierre Fabre Group.
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25.
Castres is the place where a short film festival occurs each year.
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