Toulouse (pronounced in
standard French, and locally with
Toulouse accent) (in Occitan:
Tolosa, pronounced , primarily Tholoza) is a
city in southwest France
on the banks
of the River
Garonne
, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between
the Atlantic
Ocean
and the Mediterranean Sea
. With 1,102,882 inhabitants as of Jan. 1,
2006, the Toulouse metropolitan area is the fifth-largest in
France.
Toulouse is the home base of the European
aerospace industry, with the headquarters of
Airbus,
Galileo positioning system, the
SPOT satellite system, and
CNES's Toulouse Space Centre (CST), the largest
space center in Europe.
Thales
Alenia Space, Europe's largest
satellite manufacturer, and
EADS Astrium Satellites,
EADS's satellite system subsidiary, also have a
significant presence in Toulouse.
Its world renowned university is one of the oldest in
Europe (founded in 1229) and, with more than
97,000 students, is with Lille
the
third-largest university campus of France
after
Paris
and Lyon
.
Toulouse was the capital of the former
province of
Languedoc (provinces were abolished during the
French Revolution).
It is now the main
city of the Midi-Pyrénées
region, the
largest region in metropolitan France. It is also the main
city of the Haute-Garonne
department.
History
Toulouse is an old and ornate city in France with a long and rich
history.
Historical
Population |
|
Urban Area |
Metropolitan
Area |
1695 |
43,000 |
|
1750 |
48,000 |
|
1790 |
52,863 |
|
1801 |
50,171 |
|
1831 |
59,630 |
|
1851 |
95,277 |
|
1872 |
126,936 |
|
1911 |
149,000 |
|
1936 |
213,220 |
|
1946 |
264,411 |
|
1954 |
268,865 |
|
1962 |
329,044 |
|
1968 |
439,764 |
474,000 |
1975 |
509,939 |
585,000 |
1982 |
541,271 |
645,000 |
1990 |
650,336 |
797,373 |
1999 |
761,090 |
964,797 |
2006 |
850,873 |
1,102,882 |
|
Note:
- figures provided by French national statistics office INSEE
- figures up to and including 1954 can be compared with each
other, as the limits of the urban area did not change until 1954,
being only the city of Toulouse; after 1954 the urban area starts
to include suburban communes, and the limits vary year after
year
- INSEE started calculating metropolitan
area data only in 1990, a metropolitan area being different
from an urban area in that it also includes satellite towns and the
agricultural land in between, thus better reflecting the modern-day
phenomenon of commutes and hubs; metropolitan area data before 1990
are only estimates
|
Demographics
The population of the city proper (French:
commune) was 437,715 at the Jan. 1,
2006 census, with 1,102,882 inhabitants in the metropolitan area
(French:
aire urbaine) at the
Jan. 1, 2006 census, up from 964,797 at the March 1999 census,
which means a record 1.98% population growth per year between 1999
and 2006 for the metropolitan area.
Toulouse
is the fourth largest city in France, after Paris
, Marseille
and Lyon
, and the
fifth-largest metropolitan area after Paris, Lyon, Marseille and
Lille
.
Fueled by booming aerospace and high-tech industries, population
growth of 1.5% a year in the metropolitan area in the 1990s
(compared with 0.37% for
metropolitan France), and a record 1.98%
a year in the 2000s (0.69% for metropolitan France), means the
Toulouse metropolitan area hit the 1,000,000 inhabitants mark in
2000 or 2001. Boasting the highest population growth of any French
metropolitan area larger than 500,000 inhabitants, Toulouse is on
its way to overtake Lille as the fourth-largest metropolitan area
of France (if the Belgian part of the Lille metropolitan area is
not included).
Geography
Climate
Toulouse has a
temperate climate,
usually classified as
oceanic
(
Cfb) under the
Köppen climate
classification. Toulouse is located at the junction with the
Mediterranean climate, but
uniform precipitation prevents it from being classified this way. A
plausible argument can be made that under the Köppen climate
classification, Toulouse has a
humid subtropical climate
(
Cfa).
Hydrography
The town
is traversed by the Canal de
Garonne, the Canal du
Midi
and the rivers Garonne
, Touch
.
Government and politics
Community of the Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse
The Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse (
Communauté
d'agglomération du Grand Toulouse) was created in 2001 to
better coordinate transport, infrastructure and economic policies
between the city of Toulouse and its immediate independent suburbs.
It succeeds a previous district which had been created in 1992 with
less powers than the current council. It combines the city of
Toulouse and 24 independent
communes, covering an area of
380 km² (147 sq. miles), totaling a population of 583,229
inhabitants (as of 1999 census), 67% of whom live in the city of
Toulouse proper. As of February 2004 estimate, the total population
of the Community of Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse was 651,209
inhabitants, 65.5% of whom live in the city of Toulouse. Due to
local political feuds, the Community of Agglomeration only hosts
61% of the population of the metropolitan area, the other
independent suburbs having refused to join in.
Local politics
One of the major political figures in Toulouse was
Dominique Baudis, the mayor of Toulouse
between 1983 and 2001, member of center-right
UDF.
First known as a
journalist famous for his coverage of the war in Lebanon
, 36 year-old
Dominique Baudis succeeded his father Pierre Baudis in 1983 as mayor of
Toulouse.(Pierre Baudis was mayor from 1971 to 1983.) The
Baudis dynasty succeeded in turning Toulouse into a center-right
stronghold, whereas historically the city had been left-leaning
since the 19th century. Dominique Baudis is also known as a writer
who wrote historical novels about the ancient
counts of Toulouse, their crusade in the
Middle East, and the
Albigensian Crusade.
During his time as mayor, Toulouse's economy and population boomed.
He tried to strengthen the international role of Toulouse (such as
its
Airbusoperations), as well as revive the
cultural heritage of the city. The Occitan cross, flag of
Languedocand symbol of the counts of Toulouse, was
chosen as the new flag of the city, instead of the traditional coat
of arms of Toulouse (which included the
fleur de lisof the French monarchy). Many
cultural institutions were created, in order to attract foreign
expatriates and emphasise the city's past.
For example, monuments
dating from the time of the counts
of Toulouse were restored, the city's symphonic concert hall
(Halle aux Grains) was refurbished, a city theater was
built, a Museum of Modern Art was founded, the Bemberg Foundation (European paintings
and bronzes from the Renaissance to the 20th century) was
established, a huge pop music concert
venue (Zénith, the largest in France outside Paris) was
built, the space museum and educational park Cité de
l'Espace
was founded, etc.
To deal with growth, major housing and transportation projects were
launched. Perhaps the one for which Baudis is most famous is the
Toulouse Metro: line A of the
undergroundwas opened in 1993, and
Baudis succeeded in having work started on line B (which opened in
2007), despite strong local opposition to the anticipated costs.
The creation of a system of underground car parking structures in
Toulouse city centre was sharply criticised by the
Green Party.
Despite all these massive undertakings, the city's economy proved
so strong that Dominique Baudis was able to announce, in 1999, that
the city had finished repaying its debt, making it the only large
city in France ever to achieve solvency. In Europe, typical per
capita city debt for a city the size of Toulouse is around 1,200
euros. Achieving solvency was a long-standing
goal for Baudis, who had said that he would extinguish city debt
before leaving office. Local opposition, however, has criticised
this achievement, saying that the task of governments is not to run
zero-deficit, but to ensure the well-being of citizens, through
social benefits, housing programs for poor people, etc.
In 2000, Dominique Baudis was at the zenith of his popularity, with
approval rates of 85%. He announced that he would not run for a
fourth (6-year) term in 2001. He explained that with 3 terms he was
already the longest-serving mayor of Toulouse since the
French Revolution; he felt that change
would be good for the city, and that the number of terms should be
limited.
He endorsed Philippe Douste-Blazy, then UDF mayor of Lourdes
as his
successor.Baudis has since been appointed president of
the CSA (Conseil supérieur de
l'audiovisuel) in Paris
, the French
equivalent of the American FCC.
Philippe Douste-Blazy narrowly won in the 2001 elections, which saw
the left making its best showing in decades.
Douste-Blazy had to
deal with a reinvigorated political opposition, as well as with the
dramatic explosion of the AZF
plant in
late 2001.
In March 2004 he entered the national government, and left Toulouse
in the hands of his second-in-command
Jean-Luc Moudenc, elected mayor by the
municipal council. In March 2008, Moudenc was defeated by the
Socialist Party's candidate
Pierre
Cohen.
Sights

Hôtel Bagis, also called Hôtel de
Pierre
- Capitole de Toulouse
(mainly 18th century), housing the Hôtel de Ville,
the Théâtre du Capitole (opera house), and the Donjon du Capitole
(16th century), located on the Place du Capitole
.
- Banks
of the Garonne
(mainly 18th
century)
- Bazacle

- Jardin des Plantes
, Grand-Rond, Jardin
Royal
- Pont Neuf
(16th century)
- Hôpital de la Grave, featuring a copper dome of the 18th
century
- Hôpital Saint-Raymond, 16th century hospital
- Hôtel-Dieu Saint Jacques, former 16th and 17th century hospital
on the banks of the Garonne
- Château d'eau (19th century)
- Canal du Midi

- Many Hôtels
particuliers (palaces), notably of the 16th century like the
Hôtel d'Assézat, the Hôtel
du Vieux-Raisin, the Hôtel de Bernuy and the Hôtel de Bagis.
- Saint-Pierre bridge, 19th century iron bridge
- Wilson Square
- Halles aux grains (19th century)
- Gare de Toulouse Matabiau
, railroad station
- Médiathèque José Cabanis

- Institut national
des sciences appliquées
Museums
Religious buildings
- Saint-Sernin Basilica
(the largest romanesque church in Europe) which
contains what is widely considered the most beautiful pipe organ in France.
- Notre-Dame du Taur church, 14th century
- Church of the Jacobins and its cloister
(burial of Saint Thomas
Aquinas)
- Saint-Étienne cathedral
, 13th to 16th century
- Daurade basilica, 18th-19th century
- Ursulines tower
- Saint Nicolas church, gothic church
- Notre-Dame de de la Dalbade church, 15th-16th century
- Saint-Pierre des Cuisines church, 11th and 12th century with a
4th century crypt.
- Carmelite chapel, chapel with 17th and 18th century
frescoes.
- former Augustine Convent and its gothic
cloister, which now houses the Musée des Augustins
.
Economy
The main industries are
aeronautics,
space, electronics, information technology and
biotechnology. Toulouse hosts the Airbus
headquarters and assembly-lines of
AirbusA320,
A330,
A340,
and
A380.
The others (A318, A319, A321 and A380
interior furnishing) being in Hamburg
, Germany
.Airbus intends to relocate Toulouse A320
final assembly activity to Hamburg, with A350 and A380 production
going in the opposite direction as part of its
Power8organization plan begun under ex-CEO
Christian Streiff.
According to
NewsweekToulouse ranked as the
fifth most dynamic city in the world in 2006.
Colleges and universities
Toulouse has the third-largest student population in France after
Lyon and Paris with 97,000 students.
The
University of
Toulouse(
Université de Toulouse), established in 1229,
is located here (now split into three separate universities).
Like the
universities in Oxford
and Paris
, the
University of Toulouse was established at a time when Europeans
were starting to translate the writings of Arabs of Andalus and
Greek philosophers.These writings challenged European
ideology - inspiring scientific discoveries and advances in the
arts - as society began seeing itself in a new way. These colleges
were supported by the Church in hopes to reconcile Greek Philosophy
and Christian Theology.
and its engineering schools :
The most well known high schools in Toulouse are
Lycée Pierre de Fermatand
Lycée Saint-Sernin.
Transport
In addition to an extensive bus system, the
Toulouse Metrosystem is a
VAL(Véhicule Automatique Léger)
metrosystem made up of driverless (automatic)
rubber-tiredtrains. Line A
runs for 12.5 km from Balma-Gramont to Basso Cambo. Line B,
which opened in June 2007, adds 20 stations and intersects line A
at Jean Jaurès. Line E (tramway) is going to be finished in 2009,
and will roll from Beauzelle to Toulouse passing through Blagnac.
Line C has existed since line A was completed. It is not VAL but a
classical railway line with
SNCFtrains; it
connects to line A at Arènes. Another oft-used commuter train line
(D) runs to the city of Muret.
Airports include:
Railway stations include:
Communications
Toulouse is the home of Bonhoure Radio Tower, a 61-metre high
lattice tower used for FM and TV transmission. In 2001 a large
(100 km)
optical fiber(symmetric
360Gb/s) network named
Infrastructure Métropolitaine de
Télécommunicationshas been deployed around the city and
suburbs .
Culture

A typical "Pink City" street at
sunset

16th century Hôtel Dahus
Toulouse, known as the
Ville Rose("
Pink City") for its distinctive brick
architecture , is host to a rich and diverse culture. It has a
thriving scene of unusually beautiful
graffiti, with the painter
Miss
Vanat its forefront.
It is the seat of the
Académie des Jeux Floraux,
the equivalent of the
French
Academyfor the Occitan-speaking regions of southern France,
making Toulouse the unofficial capital of
Occitan culture. The traditional
Occitan crosswas adopted as the symbol of both
the City of Toulouse and the newly-founded Midi-Pyrénées
région.
The city's gastronomic specialties include
Saucisses de
Toulouse, a type of herb
sausage,
cassouletToulousain, a bean and
pork
stew, and
garbure, a cabbage soup with poultry. Also,
foie gras, the liver of an overfed duck or
goose, is a delicacy mainly made in the Midi-Pyrénées.
Sport
In sports, it boasts a highly respected
rugby unionteam,
Stade Toulousain, which has been a
five-time finalist, three-time winner in Europe's top club
competition in the sport, the
Heineken
Cupand 17 times
French champions.
Toulouse hosted games at the
2007
Rugby World Cup.
The city also has a professional football team Toulouse FC who play in ligue 1, the top level
of football in France
.Toulouse
Olympiquerepresents the city in
rugby
league's
Co-operative
Championship.
The city also hosted games during the
1998 FIFA World Cupand the
EuroBasket 1999.
Notable births and deaths in Toulouse
- Gaël Clichy, footballer
- Jean de Coras (1515-1572), judge
and humanist
- Lucas Puig, Professional
skateboarder
- Antony Rea, mixed martial artist
- Pierre de Fermat, lawyer and
mathematician
- Carlos Gardel, (not confirmed)
composer
- Philippe Mexès,
footballer
- David Skrela, French rugby union
player.
- Fabien Pelous, rugby player
- Frédéric Michalak,
rugby player
- Anne Munaretto, lacrosse
player
- Laetitia Barlerin,
veterinarian
- Claude Nougaro,
parolier, writer and singer, passionate of jazz and
language.
- Solène Jambaqué,
hemiplegic skier, multi-medal winner at the 2006 Winter Paralympic
Games in Turin.
- Magyd Cherfi, singer of the band
Zebda
- Pierre Seel, persecuted homosexual during the Holocaust.
- Patrice Alègre serial
killer*
- Marine Delterme, actress
- Laurent Wolf, Disc Jockey
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Toulouse is
twinnedwith:
- Atlanta, Georgia
, United
States
- Bologna
, Italy
- Bristol
, England
, United
Kingdom
- Chongqing
, China
- Elche
, Spain
- Kiev
, Ukraine
- Tel
Aviv
, Israel
- Rosario
, Argentina
Toulouse also has accords of cooperation with the following
towns:
- Bydgoszcz
, Poland
- Düsseldorf
, Germany
- Hanoi
, Vietnam
- N'Djamena
, Chad
- Ses,
Senegal

- São José dos Campos
, Brazil
- Zaragoza
, Spain
In addition, Toulouse has an adoption city:
- Câmpia Turzii
, Romania
See also
Notes
References
External links
 Wilson Square
|
|
 Augustins cloister
|
|
 The Capitol (Town hall) by night
|