Orgeix Castle, Castle in Orgeix, France

Orgeix Castle stands at 816 metres in the Orlu valley near Ax-les-Thermes, in the Ariège. Its oldest parts date from the 17th century, not the Middle Ages. The rectangular main block has three rows of ten windows, flanked by two small square towers with four windows each; a lower two-storey outbuilding adjoins the left tower. The pale, mottled walls sit at the foot of the Campauleil reservoir, with dense trees behind.

The oldest parts of Orgeix Castle date from the 17th century, and it was not built in a single campaign; it belongs to the Thonel d'Orgeix family, who became lords of Orgeix after the village passed through many hands. On 30 August 1817 Louis XVIII made Jean François Joseph de Thonel Marquis d'Orgeix, a title his descendants kept. On 5 June 1938 a bomb from a trimotor aircraft from civil-war Spain damaged the roof; the marquis Emmanuel de Thonel d'Orgeix, holder of the Croix de Guerre of 1914-1918, was murdered by the Germans in 1944 for sheltering resistance fighters. In 1941 an EDF dam downstream created the Campauleil reservoir at the foot of the building.

The castle takes its name from the village of Orgeix in the Orlu valley, near Ax-les-Thermes. The Thonel family became lords of Orgeix after the village passed through many hands, and their former forge stands close to the building. Louis XVIII made Jean François Joseph de Thonel Marquis d'Orgeix on 30 August 1817, a title his descendants keep.

The castle sits in a mountainous area with limited access, so advance planning is necessary for a visit. The nearest town provides accommodation and supplies for travelers.

The Thonel d'Orgeix family still owns the building. On 5 June 1938, when trimotor aircraft from civil-war Spain bombed Orgeix without causing deaths, a bomb damaged the roof of the marquis Emmanuel de Thonel d'Orgeix, holder of the Croix de guerre for 1914-1918 and killed by the Germans in 1944 for sheltering resistance fighters.