Tourist attractions Castres

The three façades with mullioned windows connected by two corner towers and, naturally, stone and brick, are a fine example of 17C civil architecture from Toulouse.

The Musée Goya is known for its superb collection of works by Francisco de Goya ( Ferdinand VII presiding over the Junta of the Philippines , extremely critical while appearing to be quite neutral, a hard-hitting Self-portrait with Glasses , th..

The centre is devoted to the life and work of Jean Jaures as well as to subjects that concerned society at the end of the 19 C and the start of the 20 C.

The natural site of Siderobe, niched in the gorges de l'Agout, is located in the heart of the Haut-Languedoc Nature Reserve . Erosion has sculpted the granite into curious landscapes. The most impressive feature is the balancing granite block, Peyr..

High above Arnette Gorge and its wool pulling factories, a fine view over Mazamet and the Thoré valley.

The Place Jean Jaurès is a fine classical ensemble with sandstone façades. The statue of native son Jean Jaurès by sculptor Gaston Puech dominates the square, where a colourful market is held three times a week.

The Quai des Jacobins affords the nicest view of the brightly coloured façades of the former tanners’ and weavers’ dwellings that give onto the Agout river. For a closer view, you could take a ride on a tow-boat.

Isidore and Antoine Baratta , disciples of Bernini, had a field day in this Baroque building. Their Assumption of the Virgin in Carrara marble stands at the centre of the high altar. Notre-Dame-de-la-Platé also has a fine 18C organ.

Strange caryatids support the balustered terrace of this elegant 17C townhouse. Inside there is a monumental staircase.

The Hôtel de Ville is a former bishop’s palace built in 1669 and designed by Mansart. Saint-Benoît Tower , in the courtyard, is a massive Romanesque construction with an elegant doorway, the only vestige of the former Abbey of Saint-Benoît.

The Hôtel de Viviès , a 16C building with a fine square corner tower at n° 35 Rue Chambre-de-l’Édit, frames a courtyard reached through a monumental doorway. At n° 31, the 16C Hôtel Jean-Leroy has pretty mullioned windows and a corner tower overlo..

Castres Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Benoit) succeeded a Benedictine abbey-church founded in the 9C. The (18C) interior is exuberantly Baroque, with a canopied high altar supported by Caunes marble columns, a choir surrounded by four marble statues, a..

The peacocks wander freely alongside the walkers in this park of 53 ha, equipped with mini-golf, volleyball areas, skateboard and roller blade tracks. Near by are a swimming pool and an ice-skating rink.

This church built in 1959 has a fine stained-glass window in the baptistery, the work of Dom Ephrem, a monk at the abbey of En Calcat.

The 19C Hôtel Fuzier houses the Tourist Office and an exhibition on the Cathar religion whose members took refuge in the towns and castles of Occitania (such as Hautpoul) on the Tarn side of the Montagne Noire. Historical reconstructions, sound envir..

A wide view as the Arnette Gorge unfolds, with the ruins of Hautpoul and the old town of Mazamet drawn tightly around St Sauveur’s church.

Mazamet’s reservoir: a great spot for walkers and fishermen.

The Maison du Bois et du Jouet has exhibitions and animations dedicated to one of the typical activities of the Montagne Noire: local woodwork , in particular the production of toys. It also presents this village full of character, and its history.

You can shop here, or prepare a hike up the Montagne Noire.