Tarn videos
"Discover the Tarn" videos by 'Florent81'
In the 13th century, the region of the Lauragais (SW France) was very prosperous due to a plant, the Pastel. It was cultivated in Lauragais and Albigeois, in the triangle Toulouse, Carcassonne, Albi and was used to produce black, green and violet dyes. The 'Musée du Pastel' exists in the château de Magrin in theTarn, between Castres and Lavaur.
"Bastides of the Tarn"
Bastides are fortified towns, usually constructed in places that were easy to defend i.e on the top of a hill or on a plain. They were built mainly in the south of France in the Middle Ages between 13th and 14th centuries due to the tragic episode of the repression of the Cathares, (the Crusade against the Albigeois). This was the beginning of a period of commercial prosperity in the Middle Ages.
Today, there are approximately 400 bastides.
Bastides are fortified towns, usually constructed in places that were easy to defend i.e on the top of a hill or on a plain. They were built mainly in the south of France in the Middle Ages between 13th and 14th centuries due to the tragic episode of the repression of the Cathares, (the Crusade against the Albigeois). This was the beginning of a period of commercial prosperity in the Middle Ages.
Today, there are approximately 400 bastides.
Albi "la ville Rouge"
Albi has a long history - notably it’s association with the Cathares of The Languedoc Region, who were known as the “Albigeois”. Albi avoided the destruction that many of the Languedoc towns suffered. The main landmark is the Cathedral of Sainte Cécile, built more like a fortress during the 13th & 14th centuries, symbolising the victory over the heresy. Alongside is the Archbishop’s Palace of La Berbie which today houses the Toulouse Lautrec Museum and has the largest collection of his works in the world, on display.
Albi has a long history - notably it’s association with the Cathares of The Languedoc Region, who were known as the “Albigeois”. Albi avoided the destruction that many of the Languedoc towns suffered. The main landmark is the Cathedral of Sainte Cécile, built more like a fortress during the 13th & 14th centuries, symbolising the victory over the heresy. Alongside is the Archbishop’s Palace of La Berbie which today houses the Toulouse Lautrec Museum and has the largest collection of his works in the world, on display.
Castres
Principal crossroads of south Tarn, Castres was originally constructed along the banks of the river Agout. Its old houses gaily decorate the river hiding the sufference of the town's heavy past. Home of the famous Jean Jaurès, (museum Jean Jaurès), Castres is rich in architecture and culture: the Goya museum, which contains a large collection of paintings by the Spanish artist, the church of Saint Benoît, the 'hôtel de ville' which occupies the ancient Bishop's palace built in the 17th century by the famous architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart ( architect of Versailles) and the Jardin de l'Evêché by Le Nôtre, (designer of the gardens at Versailles).
Principal crossroads of south Tarn, Castres was originally constructed along the banks of the river Agout. Its old houses gaily decorate the river hiding the sufference of the town's heavy past. Home of the famous Jean Jaurès, (museum Jean Jaurès), Castres is rich in architecture and culture: the Goya museum, which contains a large collection of paintings by the Spanish artist, the church of Saint Benoît, the 'hôtel de ville' which occupies the ancient Bishop's palace built in the 17th century by the famous architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart ( architect of Versailles) and the Jardin de l'Evêché by Le Nôtre, (designer of the gardens at Versailles).
Gaillac is an ideal wine growing region, a market town and the commercial centre of the noth-west of Tarn.
The Gaillacois have cultivated vines since Roman times and produce a large range of quality wines.The wines of Gaillac are emblematic of its rich authentique culture of the Midi-Toulousain and of "l'art de vivre" of the South West of France.
"Le massif du Sidobre" - Tarn
A natural continuation of the Massif Central, Sidobre is situated a few kilometres from Castres. Its wild mountainous forest is a place of legends with its sensational geological formations of colossal stones, is unique in Europe.
A natural continuation of the Massif Central, Sidobre is situated a few kilometres from Castres. Its wild mountainous forest is a place of legends with its sensational geological formations of colossal stones, is unique in Europe.
The genius of local engineering!
by Podzob