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Castle of Enjaux dans le Tarn

Tarn

Castle of Enjaux

    100 Impasse d'Enjaux
    81500 Saint-Agnan
Auteur inconnuUnknown author

Timeline

Renaissance
Temps modernes
Révolution/Empire
XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1500
1600
1700
1800
1900
2000
XVe siècle
Presumed construction
XVIIe siècle
Historical mention
1930
Purchase by Radio Toulouse
1933
Balma Fire
1944
Fire destruction
2017
Repurchase for catering
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Marquise de Sévigné - Epistolary Mentionne the castle in the 17th century.
Léon Kierzkowski - Co-founder of Radio Toulouse Buy the castle back in 1930.
Jacques Trémoulet - Co-founder of Radio Toulouse Run the radio from the castle.
Stephen et Virginie Ferrara - Local entrepreneurs Buy the castle in 2017.
Guy Maronese - Architect Participates in the restoration of the castle.

Origin and history

The castle of Enjaux, located in Saint-Agnan in the Tarn, has its origins in the 15th century. Although little documented for its first centuries, it was mentioned in the seventeenth century in the correspondences of the Marquise de Sévigné, suggesting its social importance from that time. Its architecture, marked by a body of rectangular houses flanked by square and round towers, reflects the defensive and residential styles of the late Middle Ages.

In the 20th century, the castle became the headquarters of Radio Toulouse, France's most powerful private radio station. Repurchased in 1930 by Léon Kierzkowski and Jacques Trémoulet, it is equipped with two 120-metre towers and a 400-metre cooling basin, still visible today. After the fire of Balma's premises in 1933, it houses studios, ballroom and luxurious rooms, welcoming artists such as Edith Piaf or Maurice Chevalier live. Its cultural role is major, despite the constraints of the Second World War.

Under the occupation, Radio Toulouse broadcasts sometimes forbidden music, thanks to Jacques Trémout's relations with Pierre Laval. However, in 1944, the Germans set fire to the castle by withdrawing, reducing it to a state of ruin. Abandoned, it temporarily served as an agricultural hangar before being bought in 2017 by Stephen and Virginie Ferrara. These local entrepreneurs, assisted by architect Guy Maronese, undertake its restoration to save this historical heritage.

The estate extends over 70 hectares and includes a chapel. Despite the disappearance of most roofs, the wing still retains its structure. The castle thus illustrates the transformations of a medieval building into a symbol of radio modernity, before its tragic decline.

External links