Situated on the outskirts of Montpellier, in the heart of the village of Castries, the Château de Castries has overlooked the Languedoc plain for over four centuries. The estate’s origins date back to the late Middle Ages, when the de La Croix family acquired the barony of Castries at the end of the 15th century. In 1565, Jacques de La Croix de Castries began construction of the present-day château, built on the ruins of an ancient keep.

In the 17th century, the estate underwent a profound transformation. René-Gaspard de La Croix de Castries commissioned the creation of majestic French-style gardens designed by André Le Nôtre and had a spectacular aqueduct, nearly seven kilometres long, built by the engineer Pierre-Paul Riquet to supply water to the park’s ponds and fountains. These developments earned the estate the nickname ‘the little Versailles of Languedoc’.

Over the centuries, the château weathered the Wars of Religion and the French Revolution – during which it was plundered – followed by several changes of ownership before returning to the de Castries family in the early 19th century. Now owned by the local council since 2013, the château is undergoing major restoration work and is gradually being opened to the public, allowing visitors to rediscover the history of this iconic site of Languedoc’s heritage.

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