Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Castries Watershed, located in the municipality of the same name in the Occitanie region (Hérault department), was built during the second half of the seventeenth century. Designed by engineer Pierre-Paul Riquet – famous for his role in the construction of the Canal du Midi – this work was designed to supply water to Castries Castle, an emblematic residence of the local seigneurial family. Ranked a Historical Monument by order of 8 September 1949, it illustrates the technical prowess of the time in hydraulic management.

The town of Castries, marked by a rich medieval and modern history, houses a heritage linked to its castle and its aqueduct. The latter, although less well known than other achievements of Riquet, is part of a context where local lords, such as the family of La Croix de Castries, played a central role in spatial planning. The aqueduct, with its architectural characteristics, also reflects the strategic importance of water for the aristocratic domains of Languedoc.

The site of Castries, occupied since the Neolithic, saw the succession of Roman posts, feudal castle, and transformations in the 16th-17th centuries. The water pipeline is thus integrated into a long history, where hydraulic infrastructure served both domestic needs and the symbolic ambitions of elites. Today, there remains a tangible vestige of this time, protected and highlighted in the Castriot landscape.

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