La Pomarède, a historic villageThe village of La Pomarède located in the Lauragais, on the small river Fresquel, built around its castle, is perched on a hill, on a site that has been occupied for at least a thousand years. It dominates the surrounding plains. The castle of La Pomarède, built in 1052, includes four corner towers, two main buildings, a main entrance with a bridge over the moat. At that time it was the fiefdom of the Count of Toulouse William IV. To this day, you can still see the high fortified walls built in the 11th and 12th centuries and access the village centre by the stone bridge, passing under a magnificent medieval gate overlooking the castle courtyard, with its town hall, post office, small school... Supported by two of the towers, the 17th century seigneurial building has become the Hostellerie du Château de La Pomarède, a renowned restaurant since 1997. Another tower is called Jean XXII, Pope of Avignon, who is supposed to have spent a night there in 1320, and this feudal castle has undergone major alterations, mainly from the 19th century to the present day. The surrounding wall, with the watchtowers, bridge, ditch, facades and roofs of the building located in the southeast corner of the courtyard, have been classified as historic monuments since 1995. Outside the village, enjoy numerous picnic areas, including Lake Malfrette (1.5 km) where, in the old Roman tile factory, a witness to the Gallo-Roman era, many Roman helmets have been found. The Countess Jeanne-Marie-Louise d'Auberjon, who sold the castle to the town in 1950, lived there until her death in 1968, thus embodying the last castle of La Pomarède.
