Château de Magrin

English translation

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History

Located on the razed medieval enceinte of the castle of Magrin, the pastel drying-house is one of the rare ones of its kind still in good condition in the Toulouse south. It is constructed in more or less well-dressed ashlar probably of reused material (medieval walls). The four-storey building offers a particular elevation on north and south facades to ensure good ventilation of pastel pods or cocci; the walls are pierced on the third level, corresponding to the drying floor, with narrow openings nearly three metres high each, surmounted by rectangular openings on the roof storey where the woad seed was stored. The whole consists of eight bays without decoration, on the south a ninth bay is blocked by the building called "Renaissance" constructed at right angles. Inside, the narrow openings are closed with wooden shutters with fixed louvers. The drying-house retains four compartments (eight originally), delimited by grilles with wooden frames and iron rods; they were formerly lathed to receive the pastel pods. Besides the drying-house, one can visit, on the second level a museum retracing the history of pastel in the Toulouse south. In an adjoining tower, a pastel mill from a neighbouring commune has been reassembled. Today the castle of Magrin is the major site of the Historical Route of Pastel.