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.

### 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**

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 bar:2011 at: 42222 fontsize:S text: 42,222 shift:(-18,5)
 bar:2014 at: 41382 fontsize:S text: 41,382 shift:(-18,5)

## 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

File:Castres (Tarn, Fr) Hotel de ville et musée.JPG|Castres Town Hall
File:Quai sur l'Agout.JPG|Castres and the Agout river
(Castres) La place Jean Jaurès vu la Fontaine des Angelots.jpg|Jean Jaurès square, Castre
File:Castres Theatre.jpg|Municipal theatre, Castre

## Related pages
* Arrondissement of Castres
* Communes of the Tarn department

## References
## Other websites
* City Council website  
* Greater Castres-Mazamet Council official website