Toulouse - The Violet Capital

Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France after Paris, Marseille and Lyon. It is also the prefecture of the department of the Haute-Garonne in the Midi-Pyrenees region. The name Toulouse in modern-day French derives from the old Occitan name of Tolosa. The City of Toulouse is crossed by both the river Garon and the Canal du Midi.

The French also have a special name for the city of Toulouse, they call it "la ville rose" (the pink town). And when visiting the city the reason is obvious - most of the buildings are build with a typical local pink brick!

Toulouse is situated at 141m above sea level on the banks of the river Garon, with its source in the nearby Pyrenees mountains, which on clear days are easily visible to the south. Its location centrally located in southern France means that Toulouse is subject to both Mediterranean and Oceanic influences, thus it has a temperate climate, mild in autumn and hot and dry in summer.

Typical of this part of south-west France, Toulouse is crossed by three major winds: a north wind, a west wind and a south-easterly wind. The west wind blows from the Atlantic and brings with it moist air and rainfall. The northerly wind, much less frequent than the other two, is cold but very dry. But perhaps the most well-known and prevalent wind is that from the south-east, regularly known by its name the "Autan". This wind is dry and hot, but it also possesses some interesting side effects. The locals often refer to it as the "devil's wind" or the "crazed wind", since its effect on the minds of many whose paths it crosses, both humans and animals. So tourists beware!

Toulouse isn't just a thriving, bustling city, it's also a major European center of technology, home to industries including aeronautics, aerospace, medicine and also telecommunications. Indeed Toulouse is considered to be the European capital of the aerospace industry. Yet the city continues to diversify into ever more areas. Much of this is of course due to it being home to a major university, the second largest after that of Paris.

Two key features of the city are the Pont-Neuf and the Canal du Midi which were completed in 1632 and 1682 respectively. Then there is the Capitole, constructed in the eighteenth century. In the 1920s, Toulouse was the pioneering center of the aviation industry, with the key Aerospatiale company being established in 1927, with such notable names such as Antoine de Saint-Exupery and Jean Mermoz.

The national center for weather prediction in France was established in Toulouse in 1982, which is responsible for forecasting the weather for the whole of the country.

Toulouse is also known for violets, which are cultivated there both for the flowers and for their perfume.

Toulouse is also home to a huge quantity of museums and cultural festivals. Indeed Toulouse is known throughout the whole of Europe as a city of many major international festivals. It is thus a major tourist destination. Visitors to the city will find it impossible to avoid coming into contact with major centers such as the Zenith, the Meditheque and the Congress Center. There are also the more recent Museum of Modern Art, known as the Abattoirs (since it was indeed the old city abattoir). Then there is the famous and impressive Cite de l'Espace (Space City). And not to be missed is the incredible Capitole Museum with its impressive Salle des Illustres - a giant room brimming with huge paintings and frescoes.

The Cite de l'Espace, located on the outskirts of the city, is a large expense of land dedicated to the exploration of space in all its many manifestations. Here you will find a reconstructed Mir space station, an Arianne rocket and a whole host of satellites and rockets to discover. And one mustn't forget the very impressive IMAX three-dimensional cinema and planetarium. There is nothing quite so spectacular in the whole of Europe - an incredible family day out or place of study for school children.

The "Theatre du Capitole" provides an unforgettable encounter with the "Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse", which has an international reputation in the domain of classical music, and has become one of the foremost orchestras in the world under the direction of the conductor Michel Plasson. It is now under the artistic direction of Tugan Sokhiev.

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