Casteljaloux is a commune of almost 5,000 inhabitants in the south-western Lot-et-Garonne region, on the Bordeaux-Toulouse axis. It is 85 kilometers from Bordeaux and 156 kilometers from Toulouse. On a north-south axis, it lies halfway between Bergerac and Mont-de-Marsan, at a distance of around 75 kilometers from each of these two cities.

The commune offers two distinct types of landscape. The north is dominated by a landscape of clay-limestone slopes, while the south is characterized by the importance of the Landes forest and sandy soils.

Settlement of the town dates back at least to the Roman conquest. From the 11th to the 16th century, the city was marked by the presence of the Albret lords, who gave Henry IV to the kingdom of France. Having become the political center of a vast Gascon state stretching from the Pyrenees to Quercy, Casteljaloux benefited from the rise of the Albret family until the 16th century. From the 13th century onwards, the springs, abundance of iron ore and abundance of wood gave rise to a number of industries: iron forges, paper mills, glass factories, rope factories, etc. With the widespread afforestation of the Gascony moors in the early 19th century, the town became an important center for the trade and processing of forest products: wood, resin and turpentine. The industrial revolution also favored the development of foundries. The population rose from 2,158 in 1836 to 3,696 in 1908. It reached 5,406 in 1968.

With the major industrial restructuring of the 1970s and 1980s, industry and the local economy began to decline. From 1975 onwards, the population began to decline, falling to 4,755 in 1999.

In the late 1970s, the commune decided to take action. It embarked on a vast investment program designed to bring about a new form of local economic development based on tourism, with :

the digging of the tourist lake from 1976 and the creation of the Clarens leisure park,

the creation of the Clarens campsite in 1980,

the creation of a 55-hectare, 18-hole golf course in 1989,

the construction of a restaurant on stilts at the Clarens leisure center in 1996,

the construction of a borehole and thermal module in 1993,

the opening of a spa in 2002,

the opening of a casino in 2013.

Following this policy of public investment, the private sector linked to tourism has developed: creation of a vacation village on the leisure base, creation of gîtes and bed & breakfasts, opening of an accrobranches activity, installation of a paintball activity, boat rental, development of the equestrian center, establishment of a senior residence close to the spa.

The economic diversification encouraged by the municipality is now bearing fruit. The spa has an annual attendance of 2,200 curists and 115,000 visitors to its thermo-ludic section. The leisure park registers an average of 60,000 visits per year. Most recently, Pierre et Vacances decided to build a Center Parcs near the town’s golf course, on the Beauziac and Pindères territory.

Opening :

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m./12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m./5:45 p.m.

Friday 8h30/12h and 14h/17h30