Toulouse
Occitan cross, symbol of Toulouse and of Occitan culture
Toulouse (Tolosa in Occitan) is a city in southwest France on the shores of the Garonne River, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is the home base of the European aerospace industry, and the greater metropolitan area hosts the headquarters of Airbus S.A.S..
Toulouse is the former capital of the province of Languedoc (French provinces were abolished during the French Revolution). It is the current capital of the Midi-Pyrénées region (the largest region in France, encompassing only half of the former Languedoc province). It is also the préfecture (capital) of the Haute-Garonne département. It is the seat of the Académie des Jeux Floraux, the equivalent of the French Academy for the Occitan-speaking regions of southern France, making Toulouse the unofficial capital of Occitan culture. The traditional Occitan cross was adopted as the symbol of both the City of Toulouse and the newly-found Midi-Pyrénées region.
The population of the city proper (French: commune) is 390,350 (as of the 1999 census), with 964,797 inhabitants in the greater metropolitan area (French: aire urbaine) (as of 1999 census).
Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France, after Paris, Marseilles and Lyon. In 1999 Toulouse was the fifth largest greater metropolitan area in France, after Paris, Lyon, Marseilles and Lille. Fueled by booming aerospace and high-tech industries, record population growth of 1.5% a year (compared with a sluggish 0.37% for France as a whole) means Toulouse greater metropolitan area hit the 1,000,000 inhabitants mark in 2002 or 2003. Boasting the highest population growth of any European city of that size, Toulouse is well on its way to overthrow Lille as the fourth largest greater metropolitan area of France.
Toulouse is officially twinned with the cities of Atlanta (USA), Chongqing (China), Tel Aviv (Israel), Kiev (Ukraine), Bologna (Italy), and Elche (Spain).
The new mayor of Toulouse since May 6, 2004 is Jean-Luc Moudenc (center-right), who succeeded Philippe Douste-Blazy, appointed minister of Health in the French government on March 31, 2004. Philippe Douste-Blazy remains president of the Greater Toulouse Council.
Map of the Greater Toulouse Council
Once a major metropolis of western Europe, Toulouse sank into a sleepy regional-level status in the 18th and 19th centuries, completely missing the Industrial Revolution. In the 20th century, relocation of key military and aerospace industries in Toulouse by the French central government have awakened the city again. In an ironic twist of history, what was once a big liability for Toulouse has now become its best asset: no Industrial Revolution meant a falling economic status for the city, but it has spared Toulouse the environmental damages and painful socio-economic restructuring that are plaguing so many northern European industrial cities.
Benefiting from its status as Europe's capital of aerospace industry, as well as from the flow of population from the industrial belt to the sunbelt of Europe, Toulouse greater metropolitan area doubled its population between 1960 and 2000 (in the meantime the population of France increased only by 30%). With good prospects for aerospace and biotech industries, growth is likely to continue in the near future. Toulouse is thus recovering step by step its former rank as a major European metropolis, but it faces increasing challenges: how to accommodate such a rapid growth, how to upgrade transport and develop housing and infrastructures, in short how to reinvent the city in the 21st century.
The days of "La belle endormie" (Sleeping Beauty), as the city was often nicknamed by its inhabitants, are now gone. The way the local decision makers will manage and adjust to this rapidly changing environment will largely shape the destiny of Toulouse in the new century.
The history of Toulouse can be traced as far back as the 8th century BC, according to the oldest archeological evidence of human settlement. The location was very advantageous: an easy crossing of the Garonne River, just as the northward river reaches strong hills and thus bends westward toward the Atlantic Ocean. It was a focal point for trade between the Pyrenees, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Immediately north of these hills was a large plain suitable for agriculture. People gathered on the hills overlooking the river, south of the plain, 9 kilometers south of today downtown Toulouse. The name chosen for the city was Tolosa. Researchers today agree that the name is probably Aquitanian, related to the old Basque language, but the meaning is unknown. It is noteworthy that the name of the city has remained almost unchanged over centuries despite Celtic, Roman and Germanic invasions, which is quite unusual for French cities (Paris was once Lutetia, etc.).
The first inhabitants seem to have been Aquitanian, of whom little is known. Later came Iberians from the south, who, like the Aquitanians, were non-Indo-European people. In the 3rd century BC there came, from Belgium or southern Germany, a Celtic Gallic tribe called the Volcae Tectosages, the first Indo-Europeans to appear in the region. They settled in Tolosa and interbred with the local people, keeping the old Aquitanian name of the place. Their Celtic Gallic language became the language of the inhabitants. By 200 BC Tolosa is attested to be the capital of the Volcae Tectosages, which C. Julius Caesar later called Tolosates in his famous account of Gallic wars (De Bello Gallico). Tolosa is said to have been one of the most important city in Gaul, and certainly it was famed for being the wealthiest one. There were many gold and silver mines nearby, and the offerings to the holy shrines and temples in Tolosa had accumulated a tremendous wealth in the city.
The Romans started their conquest of southern Gaul (later known as the Provincia) in 125 BC. Moving westward, they founded the colony of Narbo Martius (today Narbonne) in 118 BC (the nearest Mediterranean city from inland Toulouse), and so they came into contact with the Tolosates, famous for their wealth and the key position of their capital for trade with the Atlantic. Tolosa chose to ally with the daunting Romans, who established a military fort in the plain north of the city, a key position near the border of independent Aquitania, but left otherwise the inhabitants of Tolosa free to rule themselves in semi-independence.
In 109 BC a Germanic tribe, the Cimbri, descending the Rhone Valley, invaded the Provincia and defeated the Romans, whose power was shaken all along the recently conquered Mediterranean coast. The Tolosates rebelled against Rome and murdered the Roman garrison. Soon, however, Rome was recovering and defeating the invaders. In 106 BC, General Q. Servilius Caepio was sent to reconquer and punish Tolosa. With the help of some Tolosates remained faithful to Rome he captured the city and plundered the immense wealth of the temples and shrines. Thus ended the independence of the city.
Tolosa was then fully incorporated into the Roman Provincia (Provincia Romana - - the usual name for what was officially called the province of Cisalpine Gaul, with its capital at Narbo Martius). Tolosa was an important military garrison at the western border of the Roman realm. However the city remained a backwater in the Provincia, people were still living in the old Celtic city in the hills. No Roman colony was established, few Roman soldiers settled in the area.
Things changed after the conquest of the rest of Gaul by C. Julius Caesar. A sign that Romanization of the people was already well under its way, Tolosa did not take part in the various uprisings against Rome during the Gallic wars. In fact southern France would prove to be the most romanized part of France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Caesar established his camp in the plain of Tolosa in 52 BC, and from there he conquered the western regions of Aquitania. With the conquest of Aquitania and the whole of Gaul, Tolosa was no more a military outpost. It capitalized on its key position for trade between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, now both under Roman control, and the city developed rapidly.
Consequently, the most important event in the history of Toulouse was the decision to relocate the city north of the hills. A typical Roman city of straight streets was founded in the plain on the eastern bank of the river sometime at the end of the reign of Augustus and the start of the reign of Tiberius (around AD 10–30). The population of Tolosa was forced to relocate to the new city, still named Tolosa, while the old Tolosa in the hills was left abandoned. Walls were built around the new city, probably at the initiative of Emperor Augustus, who wanted to create a major city at the junction of the newly built Via Aquitania and the Garonne River. Due to the Pax Romana, walls were not needed around cities, and they were only built as an imperial favor to show the special status of a city. Until the fall of the Roman Empire, the new Tolosa was to be a civitas of the province of Gallia Narbonensis (capital Narbo Martius ÃÂ Narbonne), the new name of the old Provincia.
With imperial favor and a thriving trade, Tolosa rapidly transformed into one of the major cities of the Roman Empire. During the civil war following Nero's death, Tolosa native M. Antonius Primus led the armies of Vespasian into Italy and entered Rome in 69, establishing the Flavian dynasty. Emperor Domitian, son of Vespasian and personal friend of M. Antonius Primus, granted Tolosa the honorific status of Roman colony. Another sign of imperial favor was displayed when Domitian gave Tolosa the title of Palladia, in reference to Athena Pallas, goddess of arts and knowledge, of whom he was very fond.
Palladia Tolosa was by all means a major Roman city, with aqueducts, circus and theaters, thermae, a forum, an extensive sewerage system, etc. Protected by its walls (an uncommon feature as explained above) and by its far location from the Rhine border, Palladia Tolosa escaped unscathed from the terrible invasions of the 3rd century. With much of Gaul destroyed, Toulouse emerged as the fourth largest city of the western half of the Roman Empire, behind Rome, Treves and Arles. Around that time Christianity entered the city, and the Christian community greatly expanded under the first bishop of Toulouse Saint Saturninus (locally known as Saint Sernin) , who was martyred in Toulouse around 250. In 313 the Edict of Milan established religious freedom in the empire, ending persecution of Christianity. In 403 the Saint-Sernin basilica was opened to serve as a shrine for the relics of Saint Saturninus.
Around 400, the Germanic invasions resumed. The Roman Empire was drawing to its end. In 407 Toulouse was besieged by the Vandals, but under the impulse of its bishop Saint Exuperius the city resisted behind its strong walls, and the Vandals raised the siege and moved into Spain and North Africa where they settled. In 413, three years after they had sacked Rome, the Visigoths under King Ataulf captured Toulouse. Under pressure from Roman forces, they soon withdrew south of the Pyrenees. After the murder of Ataulf, his successor Wallia resolved to make peace with Rome. In exchange for peace, in 418, Emperor Honorius granted the Visigoths the region of Aquitania as well as the city of Toulouse (which was lying in Gallia Narbonensis at the border of Aquitania). The Visigoths chose the prestigious and wealthy Palladia Tolosa to be the capital of their kingdom, thus ending Roman rule in Toulouse.
The city thrived in the Early and High Middle Ages; perhaps the crowning achievement being the completion of the St. Saturnin Basilica (French: Basilique Saint-Sernin) in 1096. Built entirely of the city's signature rosy bricks, the Basilica is the largest example of pure Romanesque (i.e. pre-Gothic) architecture in Europe.
Other notable architectural achievements include the church of Les Jacobins (named for the Jacobeans, an order of monks), which is an excellent example of the technique of palm tree vaulting (French: voutes en palmiers).
The Roman city of Tolosa became the capital of the Visigoth empire, and later of the kingdom of Aquitaine. In 1271, the area, then a county, was incorporated into France.
Throughout the Middle Ages, Toulouse--especially St. Saturnin's Basilica--was an important stop on the traditional pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
The Canal du Midi, completed in 1681, links Toulouse to the Mediterranean Sea.
See also: Counts of Toulouse.
The main industries are aeronautics, space, electronics, information technology and biotechnology. Toulouse hosts one of the two main factories of Airbus.
The metro is driverless (automatic), the VAL system (Véhicule Automatique Léger); the vehicles are rubber-tired.
The University of Toulouse (Université de Toulouse), established in 1230, is located here. It is today one of the largest university cities in France (second after Paris) with more than 110,000 students attending its 3 polytechnics and universities (Université Paul Sabatier, Université Toulouse Le Mirail, Arsenal), and engineering schools (ENSEEIHT, INSA, INPT, ...)
Toulouse was the home of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900-1944), most famous for his book Le Petit Prince (The little Prince). There is a permanent gallery with numerous photos, and some of his works, located in the Hotel du Grand Balcon--just off the Place du Capitole--where he had stayed.
Toulouse boasts a respected rugby team, Stade Toulousain, which has been a three-time finalist and two-time winner in Europe's top club competition in the sport, the Heineken Cup.
The city's gastronomic specialties include saucisses de Toulouse, a type of sausage; and cassoulet, a bean-and-pork stew.
Toulouse suffered the explosion of the AZF chemical plant on September 21, 2001. The plant was totally destroyed and the explosion damaged many houses, schools, churches, monuments and shops. More than 35,000 flats were damaged. The plant is 8 km (5 miles) from the centre of Toulouse. Twenty nine people died and several thousand were injured. The root of the explosion was in a building containing ammonium nitrate.
Toulouse is known as the "Rosy City" or "Pink City" ("Ville Rose") because of its distinctive brick architecture.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a renowned 1890's Parisian painter at the center of
the bohemian movement, the time of Van Gogh and Renoir. Too Loose To Truck was a Phil Lesh cover band in the mid 1970's, allegedly named that way as a misinterpretation pun on the painter's name.Population and geography
Government
History
Summary
In detail
Antiquity
Middle Ages
Renaissance and Beyond
In the sixteenth century, Toulouse built its economy on the fabric dye woad, called at the time pastel. While the prosperity would not last (woad would be eclipsed by indigo from the New World, which produced a darker and more colorfast blue), Toulouse used its newfound wealth to build the magnificent homes and public buildings that are today the core of the old city.Economy
Transportation
Colleges and universities
Culture
There is a thriving scene of unusually beautiful graffiti in Toulouse. At its forefront is painter Miss Van.Miscellaneous
