In the south of France there is a modern rapidly developing cultural, scientific and industrial center of the country - the city of Toulouse.
Description of the city
The population of Toulouse (including the suburbs) is 425 thousand people. This figure puts the city in fourth place in the country after Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Toulouse (France) is located on the banks of the Garonne River. It is 150 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea and 250 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean.
In this area, in addition to French, the Occitan dialect is common. Street names are written in two languages. France has always attracted tourists from all over the world. Toulouse is no exception in this sense. Thousands of travelers come to this city every year to see the local sights.
In the world, this settlement was called the "pink city", and all because of the color of the bricks from which almost all of its buildings are built. The city of Toulouse (France) has several higher educational institutions - three state universities, a polytechnic institute, a Higher School of Fine Arts. Today, more than 110,000 students are educated here.
In this FrenchThe city successfully operates aviation enterprises (Airbus and Arian), biochemical, electronic and information technology industries are developing. In the early nineties of the last century, a subway appeared in Toulouse. In addition, the citizens are proud of the municipal stadium, which is the main venue for the city's football club.
Toulouse (France): Attractions
This city keeps many monuments of history, culture and architecture. All of them are of great interest to tourists, and, I must say, not in vain. We will introduce you to some of them in this article.
Church Saint-Sernin
There are a lot of old cathedrals that France is justifiably proud of. Toulouse has preserved one of the oldest temples in the city, which belonged to the abbey of Saint Saturnin. The basilica was consecrated in honor of this saint, who lived there in the third century. This was the first bishop of the city. He was canonized as a saint after he refused to participate in the sacrifices, and as a result he accepted a terrible, martyr's death. He was tied to a bull, which was driven through the city streets. The bishop was buried by members of the Christian community outside the walls of Toulouse. Much later, a small chapel was built over his burial. Next to the grave, the first temple appeared at the beginning of the 5th century.
The construction of the basilica lasted for the XI-XII centuries. Next to it was built a room for pilgrims - a kind of innyard. Pink brick was used for this, and white stone was used for the decoration of the building.
The predominant style of the basilica is Romanesque, but at the same time, elements of Baroque and Gothic can be seen in the interior. In 1096, Pope Urban II consecrated the temple, although it was still unfinished. At the beginning of the 12th century, other buildings of the abbey began to appear, and work on the west wing was stopped.
In the 13th century, Gothic elements appeared in the appearance of the temple, and after the restoration carried out in the 19th century, the structure was so ruthlessly changed that in the next century it had to recreate its original appearance.
The main features of this temple include the stone carved decor of the portals of the southern facade. Scenes carved from stone, representing biblical scenes, adorned the gates of Port Miegeville. In the northern part of the cathedral, unique frescoes have been preserved, which date back to the 12th century. They miraculously survived under a layer of plaster during an unsuccessful restoration carried out in the 19th century.
The bell tower of the basilica rises over 110 meters and features a carillon topped by 18 bells.
Town Hall
It is interesting that the building of the city administration in this city is not called the city hall, and not the town hall, but the capitol. At the end of the 12th century, a palace was erected on this site, in which the members of the city magistrate - chapters, sat, therefore the building itself was called the capitol.
This monumental building is located on the main square of the city, which is called Capitol Square. The building in its present form was built in the XVIII century from the traditional for this citypink brick.
On the facade of the building (its length is 135 meters) there are eight columns - they corresponded to the number of city chapters. Their coats of arms were installed on the railings of the building's balconies. The construction was led by Guillaume Camm, and in the next century Eugene Viollet-le-Duc continued his work, who restored the building, which was almost completely destroyed during a fire, and also supplemented it with a donjon tower and a bell tower.
France, Toulouse: Dominican Church
At the very beginning of the 13th century, Dominic Guzman founded a monastic order. His first temple was built in Toulouse.
Today it is not a functioning temple, but it attracts the attention of citizens and guests of the city with its unusual architecture. Concerts and cultural events are held here. For many parishioners, it is very important that St. Thomas Aquinas - medieval theologian and Dominican monk.
Besides the church, several more cloisters and buildings have been preserved in the monastery complex. The monastery is located in the historic center of Toulouse, very close to the Capitol.
The architectural features of the church include "Jacobin palm trees" - graceful columns, the height of which exceeds 20 meters; twenty-two ribs diverge upward from them, which form the structure of the vault. The colonnade of this church is considered one of the highest, while the height of the octagonal four-tiered bell tower is only forty-five meters.
In the interior of the temple, for example, in the chapel of St. Antonina, you can admire the wall paintings, and in the rose window you can see a unique stained-glass window of modern work - it was created in the middle of the last century. The most spacious room in the church can be considered the refectory, which today is used as an exhibition gallery.
Space City
France is very attractive for many tourists today. The suburb (Toulouse has many attractions outside the city) beyond the eastern border has become famous for a theme park called "Space City". It was opened in 1997. In the park, you can take a tour of full-scale models of the Ariana 5 rocket, which is 55 meters high, the Mir space station and the Soyuz modules. The most interesting show programs are held daily in the planetarium in the park. You can also visit numerous exhibitions here. For example, many will be interested in the simulator room, where you can try to control a spaceship.
Paul Dupuis Museum
Undoubtedly, France has a huge number of cultural monuments. Toulouse can offer its guests a visit to this museum. It bears the name of its founder, collector and patron Paul Dupuis. For his museum, he purchased the Besson house, which belonged to the city prosecutor. The cultural institution received its first visitors in 1905.
The exposition of the museum is a large collection of applied art, a collection of graphics and other exhibits. The most ancient, by the way, were created during the Middle Ages, and the “youngest” acquisitions were notare over a hundred years old. The collection is completed by exhibits created at the beginning of the 20th century.
Quite a large part of the museum's exposition is dedicated to the crafts and history of the Languedoc. Here you can see the restored interior of the medieval pharmacy, which belonged to the Jesuit order (beginning of the 17th century), dishes, furniture, national costumes. The collection features works of art created by local craftsmen in glass and metal.
Not to mention the unique collection of watches, which has more than 130 mechanisms, and jewelry brought from China.
Impressions of the trip
Today many of our compatriots are familiar with Toulouse (France). Attractions, reviews of which travelers leave, make an indelible impression. According to travelers, this is an amazing pink city that has a lot to see. Many tourists liked the sightseeing train, which transports guests of the city to memorable places. The duration of such a trip is 35 minutes, the cost is 5 euros. The train makes stops, and you can get off at any place you like and continue exploring on your own.
Many say that before the trip they did not know that Toulouse is famous for violets and perfumes made from these flowers. In addition, you can buy violet jam and even liquor here. The violet festival takes place here every year in February. According to tourists, this is an amazing sight.
