I have written before on this wonderful spot but found new older pictures in my vault and should be in my blog, therefore, here is more of the Capitole of Toulouse!!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The Capitole that itself houses the city hall, a room of nobles and famous with work by Artists of Toulouse from the 19C ,an Opera, a symphonic orchestra on the square of place du Capitole..Behind it are the tower or Donjon du Capitole in a park surrounded by the tourist office across.
The Place du Capitole measures 12 000 m2 and contains no construction except that is present on the ground the Occitan cross. Only access to the underground car park below is visible in one of the corners. The square is surrounded by three streets giving access to cars. Recently, the south street is limited to residents and taxis by regulated access. The center is exclusively for pedestrians, events or daily markets. The square is accessible by metro via the Capitole station.
Since 1190, it is here not changing at all, the emblem of Toulouse, cannot come to the city without stopping by here, The Capitole and its donjon or tower. It looks the same since 1759 unchanged thru times. At its interior courtyard call the Cour Henry IV, because a statue of the king is there the only one done while he was alive, at the center a plaque tells you that it was here that his son the duke of Montmorency was beheaded. The south wing house today the Théâtre du Capitole. The name of Capitole comes from the term chapter the place where the assembly took place, today it is the Hôtel de Ville or city hall. Inside, the Salle des Illustres, measures more than 70 meters long (231 ft) and takes all the along the front facade of the building.; some of the illustrious or famous persons showing here are Caffarelli, Rivals, Pinel, and Riquet (canal du midi) today it hold the marriages of the city. In the upper floors you have a painting collection of Henri Martin amongst others. The Donjon or tower built in the 16C it houses the archives of precious documents of the city. In 1525 a new tower is built at the old place de l’Ancienne, and served as warehouse of the city archives until 1946. Early in the 19C the donjon was restored by Viollet-le-Duc that bring back the towers given it the aura of bell towers ,there are some things to see inside but the tourist office has moved to a building just across from it, dont forget to visit it ,full of rich information and helpful folks.
See the wonderful architecture here ! The Arcades: Twenty-nine colorful and vivid pictures each retrace an event or an aspect of the history of Toulouse and its region. These frescoes are completed in 1997. Some shops are worth a look like the Café Bibent. This café is known to be a renowned literary café. One can also notice the Hôtel de l’Opéra which is at the old site of the college Saint-Martial founded in 1359 by Pope Innocent VI. Another hotel, the Hôtel du Grand-Balcon, is famous for having welcomed Guillaumet, Mermoz and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry during the time of the airmail or early aviation.
I cannot be without a bit of the history I like!
The capitouls decided in 1676 to create a Place Royale; to bypass the Parliament of Toulouse who opposes the project, they include in the plan of the square a statue of Louis XIV, which gave his agreement. In 1730, fifteen years after the death of Louis XIV, which probably explains why the statue never saw the light of day; following the renovation of the facade of the Capitol in 1739, it was decided to enlarge the square; the work does not begin until 1750. The square was completely cleared until 1792.
Over the course of the city’s political history, the Place du Capitole was successively named “Place Royale” then “Place de la Liberté” (under the French revolution), “Place Commune”, “Place de la Mairie”, “Place Impériale” (from 1812), and finally “Place du Capitole” in 1848. It also bore the name “Place de l’Hotel-de-Ville”. The name “Place d’Armes” is dated from a troubled period (the events of the years 1790-1800 and in particular the royalist insurrection). Cannons were placed on the square as well as hundreds of men and riders. There were up to several thousand men on the Place d’Armes, despite a smaller area than the Place du Capitole is today. The square as we see today, was not completed until 1850.
The Toulouse tourist office on the Capitole : https://www.toulouse-visit.com/le-capitole-hotel-de-ville/toulouse/pcumid031fs000a3
The official Théâtre du Capitole : https://www.theatreducapitole.fr/
The Toulouse tourist office on the Donjon.tourist office : https://www.toulouse-visit.com/le-donjon-du-capitole-ou-tour-des-archives/toulouse/pcumid031v501ufh
There you go folks, a must place to be in the pink city of Toulouse. Great area to hang around as well in town. As said, the Capitole is a must if coming here ,and coming you must. Toulouse is it, we love it !
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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