Castres, Tarn Département, Occitanie, France

🇫🇷 Castres is the sole subprefecture of the Tarn department in the Occitanie region in Southern France. It lies in the former province of Languedoc, although not in the former region of Languedoc-Roussillon.

Castres is the fourth-largest industrial centre of the predominantly rural former Midi-Pyrénées region after Toulouse, Tarbes and Albi, as well as the largest in the part of Languedoc lying between Toulouse and Montpellier. It is noted for being the birthplace of the famous socialist leader Jean Jaurès (1859–1914) and home to the important Goya Museum of Spanish painting.

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 Occitania. Castres is intersected from north to south by the rivers Agout and Durenque.

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. Some now accuse its founder and president, Pierre Fabre, of being the real "master" of Castres, making and designating Castres' mayors at will.

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

Castres – Mazamet Airport (French: Aéroport de Castres - Mazamet) (IATA: DCM, ICAO: LFCK) is an airport serving Castres and Mazamet and the east of Midi-Pyrénées. The airport is located 7 km (4 mi) south-east of Castres and north-west of Mazamet, near the commune of Labruguière, in the Tarn department.