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==History==
==History==
{{Main|History of Toulouse}}
{{Main|History of Toulouse}}

===The first inhabitants and Tolosa===

The city's history goes back over 2000 years, starting with the Volques Tectosages, a small Celtic tribe that settled in the Garonne valley in 300 B.C. Because of its strategic position, Toulouse - which provided a link between the [[Mediterranean]] and the [[Atlantic]] - was already (in 100 B.C.) of great interest to the Romans, who made it one of their colonies in the 2nd century A.D. The colony subsequently prospered from the wine trade and by the 3rd century A.D. it had its first city wall, which reached northwards as far as the Porterie (now Place du Capitole), while its southernmost point was Porte Narbonnaise, which is now Place du Salin and the Place du Parlement. Around this time christianity was introduced to the city by Saint Saturnin, who later died at the hands of a frenzied "heathen" mob who tied him to the tail of a bull. Many of the city's buildings and monuments named in his honor recall his martyrdom: Rue du Taur (from “taureau”, meaning “bull”), Notre-Dame-du-Taur church, Saint-Sernin basilica and Matabiau station (from matar bios, meaning “to kill the bull”).

===The barbarian invasions===

From the 5th century A.D., the city was subjected to barbarian invasions: while the Vandals were stopped by Gallo-Roman defenses, the Visigoths, who came from the area around the Black Sea, made the city their empire's capital. A century later, the Franks in their turn took possession of the city. By the 9th century A.D. there followed a period of relative calm when Toulouse found itself relegated to the rank of simple county town. However, during the Middle Ages it became capital of the County of Toulouse and governed by Raimond II. Ruled by city nobles, Toulouse quickly expanded, due to a large influx of settlers from rural areas. The city then stretched beyond its walls to the north as far as Place Saint-Sernin, to the south as far as the Saint-Michel area of the city and to the west on the left bank of the Garonne. In the 12th century, the nobility lost the city to the Capitouls or city consuls.

===The Cathars===

In the 12th century A.D., the Cathars, members of a heretical sect, tried to establish themselves in Toulouse where they had many supporters. The king sent in his troops, led by Simon de Monfort (killed by a stone on the site where the Grand-Rond is today), which eventually succeeded in eradicating the heretics. As a result, the first wave of the Inquisition swept through Toulouse, bringing with it a religious fervour that was behind the founding of the Dominican monastic order in the couvent des Jacobins and, from 1229, the setting up of a theological university. Made a royal city in 1271, Toulouse experienced rapid economic growth (thanks to the Garonne river) and blossomed intellectually and artistically. However a dark period in its history was to follow from the 14th century onwards, when the plague, the Hundred Years' War, famine, floods and fire each ravaged the city in turn.

===Pastel===

The year 1420 was a turning point in Toulouse's history and marked the beginning of a wonderful century whose dominant theme was prosperity. Charles VII introduced a judicial body to the city: the Parliament. Pastel merchants, who had become rich by exporting this plant-derived blue dye throughout Europe, converged around the Grande Rue (today Rue des Filatiers, Rue des Changes and Rue St. Rome), built magnificent town houses (Hôtel d'Assézat, Hôtel de Bernuy) and took control of a wealthy Toulouse society in which architectural design and fine arts flourished. From the middle of the 16th century however, Toulouse experienced its second major crisis: indigo, a much less expensive dye, arrived from America, wiping out the pastel trade. A new civil war, this time between Catholics and Calvinists, caused an enormous fire to break out causing untold damage and up until the 17th century, famine followed on swiftly from the numerous outbreaks of the plague that befell the city. A period of development followed, which saw the coming to fruition of a number of industrial projects, such as the building of the Pont Neuf, Place du Capitole and the Canal du Midi.

===The Age of Enlightenment and growth during the 19th century===

The Jean Calas affair caused uproar in 1761: accused of murdering his own son who wanted to become a Catholic, Toulouse merchant Jean Calas - in spite of protesting his innocence - was sentenced to death and burned alive in 1762. This prompted widespread condemnation by key figures in French society of Toulouse's Parliament's persecution of Protestants. Although somewhat hindered by the Inquisition and religious intolerance, the city was slowly but surely modernized during the 18th century. A period of urban reorganization began, which went on until the end of the 19th century. From 1750 onwards, Toulouse witnessed the building of the Jardin Royal, the Grand-Rond with its six splendid avenues, the Canal de Brienne, Quai Dillon, the Patte-d'Oie area of the city, Place Wilson and Place du Capitole. The opening of Matabiau station in 1856 heralded the age of transportation, while boulevards replaced the city walls and main thoroughfares were created at the end of the 19th century, following the example of the wonderful improvements made by prefet Haussmann in Paris. These large-scale projects were to give the city, which had long outgrown the original and very cramped medieval town, a whole new look. Meantime, the French Revolution of 1789 marked the end of the Capitouls' reign, and Joseph de Rigaud was voted in as Toulouse's first mayor.

===The 20th century: the age of aeronautics===

The beginning of the 20th century was characterized by a huge population increase, caused by the arrival of immigrants fleeing the numerous fascist regimes of the period (immigrants came from the north of France in 1914, from Italy in the 1920s and Spain in 1934). World-wide conflict forced the city, due to its strategic position close to Spain, to change and undergo its own industrial revolution, which resulted in the arrival of chemical industries in 1915, the Latécoère aircraft factory, and the setting up of Aéropostale, the French airmail service. Aérospatiale (the internationally-known aeronautics firm) was created here in 1920. During the Second World War, Toulouse's resistance network went from strength to strength during the Occupation. A new wave of immigrants arrived just after the war in Algeria and forced the city to spread further west towards the suburbs. Since then, industries - particularly the aviation industry - have continued to flourish, as have electronics and space exploration sectors. As France's fourth biggest city (metropolitan Toulouse has about 700,000 inhabitants), home to the country's second biggest university (and the first university outside Paris), and France's aeronautics capital, Toulouse is a dynamic, forward-looking city whose pinks (for its buildings) and blues (for its pastel) are a constant reminder of its rich and colorful past.


==Population==
==Population==

Revision as of 06:07, 9 July 2013

For other uses, see Toulouse (disambiguation).

Toulouse
Tolosa
Montage of Toulouse, Top:Pont Saint Pierre and Garonne River, Middle of left:Place du Capitole, Middle of right:Pont-Neuf Bridge, Bottom of left:Capitole de Toulouse, Bottom of center:Ariane 5 at the Cité de l'espace, Bottom of right:Mediatheque Jose Cabanis
Montage of Toulouse, Top:Pont Saint Pierre and Garonne River, Middle of left:Place du Capitole, Middle of right:Pont-Neuf Bridge, Bottom of left:Capitole de Toulouse, Bottom of center:Ariane 5 at the Cité de l'espace, Bottom of right:Mediatheque Jose Cabanis
Coat of arms of Toulouse
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Per Tolosa totjorn mai.
(Occitan for "For Toulouse, always more")
Location of Toulouse
Map
CountryFrance
RegionOccitania
DepartmentHaute-Garonne
ArrondissementToulouse
Government
 • Mayor (2008–2014) Pierre Cohen (PS)
Area
1
118.3 km2 (45.7 sq mi)
 • Urban
 (2008)
811.6 km2 (313.4 sq mi)
 • Metro
 (2008)
5,381 km2 (2,078 sq mi)
Population
 (2012[1])
449,328
 • Rank4th in France
 • Density3,800/km2 (9,800/sq mi)
 • Urban
 (1 January 2008)
864,936[2]
 • Metro
 (1 January 2008)
1,202,889[3]
Time zoneUTC+01:00 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code
31555 /
Websitehttp://www.toulouse.fr/
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

Toulouse (French pronunciation: [tu.luz] ⓘ, locally: [tuˈluzə] ⓘ; Occitan: Tolosa [tuˈluzɔ], Latin: Tolosa, medieval Tholoza) is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. It lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 150 kilometers from the Mediterranean Sea and 300 from the Atlantic Ocean, and 590 km (366 mi) away from Paris. With 1,202,889 inhabitants as of 1 January 2008,[3] the Toulouse metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in France, after Paris (12.1 million), Lyon (2.1 million), and Marseille (1.7 million).[4]

Toulouse is the centre of the European aerospace industry, with the headquarters of Airbus, Galileo positioning system, the SPOT satellite system, EADS, ATR and the Aerospace Valley, considered as a global cluster.

The city also hosts l'Oncopole de Toulouse, the largest cancer research centre in Europe, the European headquarters of Intel and CNES's Toulouse Space Centre (CST), the largest space centre in Europe.[5] Thales Alenia Space, and 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 119,000 students, is the third-largest university campus of France after Paris and Lyon.[6]

Toulouse was the capital of the former province of Languedoc (provinces were abolished during the French Revolution), the former Visigothic Kingdom and was the capital of the historical region of Occitania (Southern France). It is now the capital of the Midi-Pyrénées region, the largest region in metropolitan France. It is also the capital of the Haute-Garonne department.

A city with a typical architecture of Southern France, Toulouse has two historic sites added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Canal Du Midi (shared with other cities), since 1996, and the Basilica of St. Sernin under the description: World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France, since 1998.

Stade toulousain, Toulouse's main rugby union club, is a symbol of the city, holding an impressive record of nineteen Top 14 and four Heineken Cup titles.

Culturally, Toulouse is home to the Galerie du Château d'eau, one of the oldest places dedicated to photography in the world, the Académie des Jeux floraux, the oldest literary society of the Western World and, according to many historians, was one of the places where capitalism was invented.[7]

Geography

Hydrography

The city is traversed by the Canal de Brienne, the Canal du Midi and the rivers Garonne, Touch and Hers-Mort.

Climate

Toulouse has a temperate climate that is usually classified as a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) classification. Toulouse is located at the junction with the Mediterranean climate zone, but uniform precipitation prevents it from being classified this way.

Toulouse
Climate chart (explanation)
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
 
 
52
 
 
10
3
 
 
42
 
 
11
3
 
 
49
 
 
15
5
 
 
70
 
 
17
7
 
 
74
 
 
21
11
 
 
60
 
 
26
15
 
 
38
 
 
28
17
 
 
47
 
 
28
17
 
 
47
 
 
25
14
 
 
57
 
 
20
11
 
 
51
 
 
14
6
 
 
52
 
 
10
3
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °C
█ Precipitation totals in mm
Imperial conversion
JFMAMJJASOND
 
 
2
 
 
49
37
 
 
1.7
 
 
52
38
 
 
1.9
 
 
58
41
 
 
2.8
 
 
63
45
 
 
2.9
 
 
70
52
 
 
2.4
 
 
78
58
 
 
1.5
 
 
83
62
 
 
1.9
 
 
83
62
 
 
1.9
 
 
77
56
 
 
2.2
 
 
67
51
 
 
2
 
 
56
43
 
 
2
 
 
50
38
█ Average max. and min. temperatures in °F
█ Precipitation totals in inches
Climate data for Toulouse
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 9.7
(49.5) 		11.3
(52.3) 		14.7
(58.5) 		17.2
(63.0) 		21.2
(70.2) 		25.6
(78.1) 		28.2
(82.8) 		28.1
(82.6) 		24.8
(76.6) 		19.5
(67.1) 		13.6
(56.5) 		10.1
(50.2) 		18.7
(65.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 6.2
(43.2) 		7.2
(45.0) 		10
(50) 		12.3
(54.1) 		16.2
(61.2) 		20
(68) 		22.5
(72.5) 		22.4
(72.3) 		19.2
(66.6) 		15.1
(59.2) 		9.8
(49.6) 		6.8
(44.2) 		14
(57)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.6
(36.7) 		3.2
(37.8) 		5.2
(41.4) 		7.3
(45.1) 		11.1
(52.0) 		14.5
(58.1) 		16.7
(62.1) 		16.7
(62.1) 		13.6
(56.5) 		10.7
(51.3) 		6
(43) 		3.4
(38.1) 		9.3
(48.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 51
(2.0) 		42
(1.7) 		49
(1.9) 		70
(2.8) 		74
(2.9) 		60
(2.4) 		38
(1.5) 		47
(1.9) 		47
(1.9) 		57
(2.2) 		51
(2.0) 		52
(2.0) 		638
(25.1)
Average precipitation days 9.6 9 9.5 10.2 10.2 7.6 5.3 5.8 6.7 8 8.7 8.5 99.1
Mean monthly sunshine hours 104 119 182 184 217 228 253 238 204 149 96 84 2,058
Source 1: Météo France[8]
Source 2: World Meteorological Organisation[9]

History

Main article: History of Toulouse

The first inhabitants and Tolosa

The city's history goes back over 2000 years, starting with the Volques Tectosages, a small Celtic tribe that settled in the Garonne valley in 300 B.C. Because of its strategic position, Toulouse - which provided a link between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic - was already (in 100 B.C.) of great interest to the Romans, who made it one of their colonies in the 2nd century A.D. The colony subsequently prospered from the wine trade and by the 3rd century A.D. it had its first city wall, which reached northwards as far as the Porterie (now Place du Capitole), while its southernmost point was Porte Narbonnaise, which is now Place du Salin and the Place du Parlement. Around this time christianity was introduced to the city by Saint Saturnin, who later died at the hands of a frenzied "heathen" mob who tied him to the tail of a bull. Many of the city's buildings and monuments named in his honor recall his martyrdom: Rue du Taur (from “taureau”, meaning “bull”), Notre-Dame-du-Taur church, Saint-Sernin basilica and Matabiau station (from matar bios, meaning “to kill the bull”).

The barbarian invasions

From the 5th century A.D., the city was subjected to barbarian invasions: while the Vandals were stopped by Gallo-Roman defenses, the Visigoths, who came from the area around the Black Sea, made the city their empire's capital. A century later, the Franks in their turn took possession of the city. By the 9th century A.D. there followed a period of relative calm when Toulouse found itself relegated to the rank of simple county town. However, during the Middle Ages it became capital of the County of Toulouse and governed by Raimond II. Ruled by city nobles, Toulouse quickly expanded, due to a large influx of settlers from rural areas. The city then stretched beyond its walls to the north as far as Place Saint-Sernin, to the south as far as the Saint-Michel area of the city and to the west on the left bank of the Garonne. In the 12th century, the nobility lost the city to the Capitouls or city consuls.

The Cathars

In the 12th century A.D., the Cathars, members of a heretical sect, tried to establish themselves in Toulouse where they had many supporters. The king sent in his troops, led by Simon de Monfort (killed by a stone on the site where the Grand-Rond is today), which eventually succeeded in eradicating the heretics. As a result, the first wave of the Inquisition swept through Toulouse, bringing with it a religious fervour that was behind the founding of the Dominican monastic order in the couvent des Jacobins and, from 1229, the setting up of a theological university. Made a royal city in 1271, Toulouse experienced rapid economic growth (thanks to the Garonne river) and blossomed intellectually and artistically. However a dark period in its history was to follow from the 14th century onwards, when the plague, the Hundred Years' War, famine, floods and fire each ravaged the city in turn.

Pastel

The year 1420 was a turning point in Toulouse's history and marked the beginning of a wonderful century whose dominant theme was prosperity. Charles VII introduced a judicial body to the city: the Parliament. Pastel merchants, who had become rich by exporting this plant-derived blue dye throughout Europe, converged around the Grande Rue (today Rue des Filatiers, Rue des Changes and Rue St. Rome), built magnificent town houses (Hôtel d'Assézat, Hôtel de Bernuy) and took control of a wealthy Toulouse society in which architectural design and fine arts flourished. From the middle of the 16th century however, Toulouse experienced its second major crisis: indigo, a much less expensive dye, arrived from America, wiping out the pastel trade. A new civil war, this time between Catholics and Calvinists, caused an enormous fire to break out causing untold damage and up until the 17th century, famine followed on swiftly from the numerous outbreaks of the plague that befell the city. A period of development followed, which saw the coming to fruition of a number of industrial projects, such as the building of the Pont Neuf, Place du Capitole and the Canal du Midi.

The Age of Enlightenment and growth during the 19th century

The  Jean Calas affair caused uproar in 1761: accused of murdering his own son who wanted to become a Catholic, Toulouse merchant Jean Calas - in spite of protesting his innocence - was sentenced to death and burned alive in 1762. This prompted widespread condemnation by key figures in French society of Toulouse's Parliament's persecution of Protestants. Although somewhat hindered by the Inquisition and religious intolerance, the city was slowly but surely modernized during the 18th century. A period of urban reorganization began, which went on until the end of the 19th century. From 1750 onwards, Toulouse witnessed the building of the  Jardin Royal, the  Grand-Rond with its six splendid avenues, the  Canal de Brienne,  Quai Dillon, the  Patte-d'Oie area of the city, Place Wilson and  Place du Capitole. The opening of  Matabiau station in 1856 heralded the age of transportation, while boulevards replaced the city walls and main thoroughfares were created at the end of the 19th century, following the example of the wonderful improvements made by prefet  Haussmann in Paris. These large-scale projects were to give the city, which had long outgrown the original and very cramped medieval town, a whole new look. Meantime, the French Revolution of 1789 marked the end of the Capitouls' reign, and  Joseph de Rigaud was voted in as Toulouse's first mayor.

The 20th century: the age of aeronautics

The beginning of the 20th century was characterized by a huge population increase, caused by the arrival of immigrants fleeing the numerous fascist regimes of the period (immigrants came from the north of France in 1914, from Italy in the 1920s and Spain in 1934). World-wide conflict forced the city, due to its strategic position close to Spain, to change and undergo its own industrial revolution, which resulted in the arrival of chemical industries in 1915, the Latécoère aircraft factory, and the setting up of Aéropostale, the French airmail service. Aérospatiale (the internationally-known aeronautics firm) was created here in 1920. During the Second World War, Toulouse's resistance network went from strength to strength during the Occupation. A new wave of immigrants arrived just after the war in Algeria and forced the city to spread further west towards the suburbs. Since then, industries - particularly the aviation industry - have continued to flourish, as have electronics and space exploration sectors. As France's fourth biggest city (metropolitan Toulouse has about 700,000 inhabitants), home to the country's second biggest university (and the first university outside Paris), and France's aeronautics capital, Toulouse is a dynamic, forward-looking city whose pinks (for its buildings) and blues (for its pastel) are a constant reminder of its rich and colorful past.

Population

Historical Population
Urban Area [clarification needed] Metropolitan
Area[clarification needed]
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
2009
871,961
1,218,166

The population of the city proper (French: commune) was 440,204 at the 1 Jan 2009 census,[1] with 1,218,166 inhabitants in the metropolitan area (French: aire urbaine) (within the 2009 borders of the metropolitan area),[3] up from 964,797 at the March 1999 census (within the 1999 borders of the metropolitan area).[10] Within its 2009 borders, the metropolitan area population has grown at the record rate of +1.87% per year between 1999 and 2009.[3]

Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France, after Paris, Marseille and Lyon, and the fourth-largest metropolitan area after Paris, Lyon, and Marseille.

Fueled by booming aerospace and high-tech industries, population growth of 1.49% a year in the metropolitan area in the 1990s (compared with 0.37% for metropolitan France), and a record 1.87% a year in the 2000s (0.68% for metropolitan France), which is the highest population growth of any French metropolitan area larger than 500,000 inhabitants, means the Toulouse metropolitan area has overtaken Lille as the fourth-largest metropolitan area of France in 2009.

A local Jewish group estimates there are about 2,500 Jewish families in Toulouse. A Muslim association has estimated there are some 35,000 Muslims in town.[11]

Government and politics

Community of the Agglomeration of Greater Toulouse

Main article: Community of 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. Since 2009, the Community of agglomeration has become an urban community (in French: communauté urbaine).

Local politics

The Capitole of Toulouse, and the square of the same name with the Occitan cross designed by Raymond Moretti on the ground
The fountain in "Wilson Square" shows the poet Pèire Godolin

One of the major political figures in Toulouse was Dominique Baudis, the mayor of Toulouse between 1983 and 2001, member of the centrist 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 Airbus operations), as well as revive the cultural heritage of the city. The Occitan cross, flag of Languedoc and 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 lis of 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 [weasel words] is most famous is the Toulouse Metro: line A of the underground was 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.[12]

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. [citation needed]

In 2000, Dominique Baudis was at the zenith of his popularity, with approval rates of 85%. [citation needed] 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.

Mayors

Mayor Term start Term end   Party
Raymond Badiou 1944 September 1958 bgcolor=Template:French Section of the Workers' International/meta/color| SFIO
G. Carrère September 1958 October 16, 1958 bgcolor=Template:French Section of the Workers' International/meta/color| SFIO
Louis Bazerque October 16, 1958 1971 bgcolor=Template:French Section of the Workers' International/meta/color| SFIO
Pierre Baudis March 1971 March 1983 bgcolor=Template:Union for French Democracy (alliance)/meta/color| UDF
Dominique Baudis March 1983 January 23, 2001 bgcolor=Template:Union for French Democracy (alliance)/meta/color| UDF
Guy Hersant January 23, 2001 March 23, 2001 bgcolor=Template:Union for French Democracy (alliance)/meta/color| UDF
Philippe Douste-Blazy March 23, 2001 April 30, 2004 bgcolor=Template:Union for French Democracy (alliance)/meta/color| UDF
Françoise de Veyrinas April 30, 2004 May 6, 2004 bgcolor=Template:Union for a Popular Movement/meta/color| UMP
Jean-Luc Moudenc May 6, 2004 March 17, 2008 bgcolor=Template:Union for a Popular Movement/meta/color| UMP
Pierre Cohen March 17, 2008 incumbent bgcolor=Template:Socialist Party (France)/meta/color| PS

Sights

Hôtel d'Assézat
Hôtel de Bagis, also called Hôtel de Pierre
The romanesque Saint-Sernin Basilica and its tower.
Notre-Dame de la Dalbade church (15th–16th century)

Museums

Religious buildings

Economy

The main Airbus factory in Blagnac, near Toulouse, lies next to Toulouse Airport

The main industries are aeronautics, space, electronics, information technology and biotechnology. Toulouse hosts the Airbus headquarters and assembly-lines of Airbus A320, 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 Power8 organization plan begun under ex-CEO Christian Streiff.[13] Airbus has its head office in Blagnac, near Toulouse.[14][15] Airbus's France division has its main office in Toulouse.[15]

Toulouse also hosts the headquarters of Airbus, ATR, or again Groupe Latécoère

According to Newsweek, Toulouse ranked as the fifth most dynamic city in the world in 2006.[16]

And according to this same magazine, Toulouse can be considered today like Munich, Fukuoka and Las Vegas, as one of the most dynamic cities in the world.

Colleges and universities

A typical "Pink City" street at sunset

Toulouse has the third-largest student population in France after Lyon and Paris with 119,000 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 of reconciling Greek philosophy and Christian theology.

Toulouse is also the home of Toulouse Business School (ESC Toulouse), Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), the Institut supérieur européen de gestion group (ISEG Group), the Institut supérieur européen de formation par l'action (ISEFAC) and several engineering schools:

  • ICAM Toulouse (Institut catholique d'arts et métiers)
  • INSA Toulouse
  • ISAE SUPAERO (École Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace)
  • ISAE ENSICA (École nationale supérieure d'ingénieurs de constructions aéronautiques)
  • ENAC (École Nationale de l'Aviation Civile)
  • INP ENSEEIHT (École Nationale Supérieure d'Électronique, d'Électrotechnique, d'Informatique, d'Hydraulique et des Télécommunications)
  • INP ENSIACET (École nationale supérieure d'ingénieurs en art chimique et technologique)
  • INP ENSAT ('École Nationale Supérieure Agronomique de Toulouse)
  • EPITECH (École pour l'informatique et les nouvelles technologies or European Institute of Information Technology)
  • IPSA (Institut Polytechnique des Sciences Avancées)
  • EIPurpan (École d'ingénieurs de Purpan)

According to the French newspaper "L'Etudiant", Toulouse is the best city in France to study, and according to the British company QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), Toulouse is the 46th best student city in the world.

The most well known high schools in Toulouse are fr [Lycée Pierre-de-Fermat], Lycée Saint-Joseph and Lycée Saint-Sernin. In 2012 a Jewish school was struck by an attack in which a rabbi, his two sons and the daughter of the school's director were murdered by Mohammed Merah.

Transport

Line A of the Toulouse Metro.

In addition to an extensive bus system, the Toulouse Metro is a VAL (Véhicule Automatique Léger) metro system made up of driverless (automatic) rubber-tired trains. Line A runs for 12.5 km from Balma-Gramont in the north-east to Basso Cambo in the south-west. Line B, which opened in June 2007, serves 20 stations north to south and intersects line A at Jean Jaurès. Line C has existed since line A was completed. It is not VAL but an urban railway line operated by SNCF. It connects to line A at Arènes. Similarly, Line D runs south from Toulouse Matabiau to Muret. The tramway line T1 (operating since December 2010), runs from Beauzelle to Toulouse passing through Blagnac. All urban bus, metro and tram services are operated by Tisséo.

In 2007, a city-wide bicycle rental scheme called VélôToulouse was introduced, with bicycles available from automated stations for a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly subscription.

Airports include:

The main railway station, with regional and national services, is Toulouse-Matabiau.

Communications

Toulouse is the home of Bonhoure Radio Tower, a 61-metre high lattice tower used for FM and TV transmission.[17] In 2001 a large (100 km) optical fiber (symmetric 360Gbit/s) network named Infrastructure Métropolitaine de Télécommunications was deployed around the city and suburbs.[18]

Culture

Musée des Augustins

The Théâtre du Capitole is the home of opera and ballet; there has been a theatre on the site since 1736.[19] The Orchestre National du Capitole, long associated with Michel Plasson, plays at the Halle aux Grains.[20]

Le Château d'Eau gallery,[21] an old nineteenth century water-tower was converted as a gallery in 1974 by Jean Dieuzaide, a French photographer from Toulouse and is now one of the oldest public places dedicated to photography in the world.

Toulouse 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-founded Midi-Pyrénées région.

The city's gastronomic specialties include Saucisses de Toulouse, a type of sausage, cassoulet Toulousain, 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. [citation needed]

Sport

Toulouse is represented by Stade Toulousain, a rugby union club competing in the Top 14 competition. Stade Toulousain is considered[22][23] one of the finest rugby union club in all of Europe, having been crowned the Heineken Cup champions four times since 1996, year of creation of the European cup.

Toulouse Olympique represents the city in Rugby League, they play in the Co-operative Championship. There are plans for the club to join the European Super League in 2015.

Toulouse Olympique playing rugby against Gateshead Thunder (June 2009).

The city also has a professional football team : Toulouse FC, who play in Ligue 1, the highest level of Football in France, established in 1970 by the fusion of Stade olympique des étudiants toulousains et Stade olympien vélo-sport de Toulouse, these two last were created before World War I.

Fenix Toulouse Handball who play in Division 1, the highest level of Handball in France, was created in 1996. Fenix T.B was the training center and first club of France national handball team captain Jérôme Fernandez and France national handball team head coach Claude Onesta.

Spacers Toulouse volleyball who play in Division 1, the highest level of Volleyball in France, was created in 1994, is currently represented in CEV Cup (European volleyball clubs championship) and made its better result being in 1/4 final.

Toulouse Métropole Basket who play in Ligue Féminine de Basketball, the highest level of Basketball in France, was created in 2008 and reached an ephemeral popularity in Europe by the recruitement in July 2013 of the international croat Antonija Mišura, named by the influent American sports website Bleacher Report, the most beautiful female competitor at the 2012 Summer Olympics.[24]

The city also shared with other French cities the hosting of games during the 1998 FIFA World Cup, 2007 rugby world cup and the EuroBasket 1999.

Personalities

The most famous Toulousains were, for many of them, scientists, just like Jean Dausset, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1980, 17th century mathematician Pierre de Fermat, who spent his life in Toulouse where he wrote the Fermat's Last Theorem and was a lawyer of the Parliament, Paul Sabatier, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1912, student of the Pierre de Fermat High School and the present called Paul Sabatier University, he died also in the city.

Musically, Toulouse is the birthplace of one of the most prominent figure of the History of Tango, Carlos Gardel and Toulouse most renowned singer is Claude Nougaro. Toulouse is also home of an important electro music scene with musicians such as Dilemn, Laurent Wolf, Mondkopf and Electrosexual or again Synapson, official DJ's of the Cannes Film Festival.[25] All helped by Les Siestes Électroniques, one of the major electronic music festival in Europe.[26]

The most renowned artist from Toulouse nowadays is the New York-based street-artist JR, which is the precursor of the Toulouse graffiti scene with world-renowned street-artists [27][28] just like Miss Van,Fafi, Dran, Mademoiselle Kat or again Tilt.

Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse, one of the leader of the First Crusade was born in Toulouse. Aviation's precursor Clément Ader and French Psychology School father Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol were also Toulouse-born. Rugbymen Jean-Pierre Rives (nicknamed Golden helmet), Frédéric Michalak, Maxime Médard or footballers Gaël Clichy, Blaise Matuidi began with local teams.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in France

Twin towns and sister cities

Toulouse is twinned with:

United States Atlanta, United States
Lebanon Tripoli, Lebanon
Italy Bologna, Italy
United Kingdom Bristol, United Kingdom
China Chongqing, China
Spain Elche, Spain
Ukraine Kiev, Ukraine
Israel Tel Aviv, Israel
Argentina Rosario, Argentina
Norway Stavanger, Norwa
Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina
Russia Grozny, Russia

Toulouse also has accords of cooperation with the following towns:

Poland Bydgoszcz, Poland
Germany Düsseldorf, Germany
Vietnam Hanoi, Vietnam
Chad N'Djamena, Chad
Senegal Saint-Louis, Senegal
Brazil São José dos Campos, Brazil
Spain Zaragoza, Aragón, Spain

In addition, Toulouse has an adopted city:

Romania Câmpia Turzii, Romania

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Toulouse.

References

  1. ^ a b Template:Fr icon INSEE. "Commune : Toulouse (31555)". Retrieved 27 August 2012.
  2. ^ Template:Fr icon INSEE. "Unité urbaine 2010 : Toulouse (31701)". Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Template:Fr icon INSEE. "Aire urbaine 2010 : Toulouse (004)". Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  4. ^ Template:Fr icon INSEE. "Tableau complémentaire 2 : Évolution de la population des grandes aires urbaines". Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  5. ^ Template:Fr icon CNES. "Ademe.fr" (PDF). Retrieved 30 May 2007.
  6. ^ Atlas 2005–2006 de l'éducation nationale, [pdf] Consulté le 11/09/2007
  7. ^ Le capitalisme est né à Toulouse ! - Webzine Café Du Web
  8. ^ "Prévisions météo de Météo-France – Climat en France". Météo France. Retrieved 2 October 2009.
  9. ^ "World Weather Information Service – Toulouse". Retrieved 20 May 2010.
  10. ^ Template:Fr icon INSEE. "Toulouse (005-Aire urbaine 99) - E_DEMO - Évolutions démographiques 1982-1999". Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  11. ^ Killings sour good life for high-flying Toulouse
  12. ^ http://www.bonjourlafrance.com/france-city/toulouse-france/toulouse-politics.htm - Toulouse polotics information
  13. ^ "Airbus to base A320 production in Hamburg, 350s and 380s in Toulouse – report[dead link]." Forbes. 15 January 2007.
  14. ^ "Airbus A380 lands after making aviation history." USA Today. 27 April 2005. Updated 28 April 2005. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  15. ^ a b "Contacts." Airbus. Retrieved 12 February 2010.
  16. ^ The Ten Most Dynamic Cities – Newsweek[dead link]
  17. ^ Bonhoure Transmission Tower at Structurae
  18. ^ "Garonne-networks.com". Garonne-networks.com. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  19. ^ "L'univers du Théâtre". Theatre-du-capitole.fr. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  20. ^ "Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse". Onct.mairie-toulouse.fr. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  21. ^ Le Château d'Eau Official website
  22. ^ Europe’s Top Rugby Clubs - For Dummies
  23. ^ ERC : Classement Européen
  24. ^ Zaldivar, Gabe (20 July 2012). "Croatian Basketball Player Antonija Mišura Is Most Beautiful Woman at Olympics". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 26 August 2012.
  25. ^ Template:Cite web = http://www.voixdumidi.fr/festival-de-cannes-les-djs-officiels-sont-toulousains-74485.html
  26. ^ http://www.gqmagazine.fr/pop-culture/musique/diaporama/les-10-meilleurs-festivals-de-l-ete-1/13568#les-siestes-electroniques-a-toulouse-et-a-paris. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  27. ^ http://www.fatcap.org/artiste/dran.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  28. ^ http://www.magda-gallery.com/fr/miss-van. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

Bibliography

  • Le Stang, Anne (2006). Histoire de Toulouse illustrée. leperegrinateurediteur.com. ISBN 2-910352-44-7. Template:Fr
  • Kerrison, Helen & Jeremy (2008). The Practical Guide to Toulouse. leperegrinateurediteur.com. ISBN 2-910352-46-3.

External links

Template:Link FA

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