Castres, Tarn

Castres () is a commune in the region of Occitanie, in southwestern France. It is the sous-prefecture (capital) of the arrondissement of the same name in the Tarn department.

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

History
The name of the town comes from Latin castrum, and means "fortified place".

Castres grew up round the Benedictine abbey of Saint Benoît. Castres became an important stop on the international pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in Spain because its abbey-church, built in the 9th century, was keeping the relics of Saint Vincent, the renowned martyr of Spain. It was a place of some importance as early as the 12th century, and ranked as the second town of the Albigeois behind Albi.

Geography
Castres is in southern France, in the southwestern part of the Tarn department, to the north of the Montagne Noire, a mountain range in central southern France. Castres is crossed from north to south by the Agout river, a tributary of the Tarn.

The commune has an area of  and its average altitude is ; at the city hall, the altitude is .

Castres is at  southeast of Albi and at  east of Toulouse.

+ Castres and its neighboring communes 350px|Map of the commune of Castres

Climate
The climate of Castres, in the Köppen climate classification, is Cfb - Oceanic climate with temperate summers.

Population
The inhabitants of Castres are known, in French, as Castrais (women: Castraises).

The city of Castres has a population, in 2014, of 41,382; its population density is of  inhabitants/km2.

Evolution of the population in Castres

Administration
Castres is a subprefecture of the Tarn department and the capital of the arrondissement of Castres in the same department. It is also the capital of three Cantons:
 Castres-1, formed with a part of Castres (16,890 inhabitants) (2014)
 Castres-2, formed with a part of Castres and 6 other communes (15,422 inhabitants) (2014)
 Castres-3, formed with a part of Castres and the commune Navès (15,319 inhabitants) (2014)

It is part of the intercommunality Castres - Mazamet ().

 Social housing 
In the Laden-Petit-Train district. Demolition of the apartment block located on Boulevard Albert 1er will begin on September 19, 2025. New housing, including single-family homes, and a new road will be built.
 Education 
 Institut national universitaire Jean-François Champollion

Sister cities
Castres is twinned with:
  Linares, Spain
  Wakefield, England
  Butare, Rwanda

Gallery

Related pages
 Arrondissement of Castres
 Communes of the Tarn department

References

Other websites

 City Council website  
 Greater Castres-Mazamet Council official website 

Category:Subprefectures in France
Category:Communes in Tarn