Toulouse - The Violet Capital

Capital of the French Department of the Haute Garonne and administrative center of the region of the Midi-Pyrenees, Toulouse is one of the largest and most important cities in France. It's ancient name is Tolosa in the Occitan language.

Toulouse is also known in France as "la ville rose" (the pink town), due to the color of the principal material of construction, 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.

There are three important winds which blow across the city: firstly there is the west wind, which brings with it a lot of moisture from the Atlantic Ocean. Then there is the wind known as the "Autan" which blows from the south-east. This wind is hot and dry. Finally there is the wind coming from the north, blowing much less frequently, but it is cold and dry. The Autan is often called by the locals "the maddening wind" or "the devil's wind", since it affects everything in its path, apparently affecting the normal calmness of the inhabitants, both human and animal, making them much less calm!

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.

Toulouse is also the proud owner of several major historical and architectural features, the oldest being the Pont-Neuf bridge, and then of course there is the world-famous Canal du Midi, both dating from the seventeenth century. Next, and perhaps most impressive, is the huge Capitole building, built in the eighteenth century. For those interested in industrial history, Toulouse was a major pioneer in aviation, with links to names such as Jean Mermoz and Antoine de Saint-Exupery. The renowned Aerospatiale company set up there in 1927.

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 and violets - the two words are almost synonymous, since Toulouse is home to the violet, with the little flower and all its sweet and fragrant derivatives being spotted throughout the city, whether in the form of flowers, confectionery or perfume.

With regard to festivals, Toulouse is one of the main centers in Europe, hosting a variety of internationally-known festivals throughout the year, particularly in the musique domain. Yet another reason the city is an important tourist destination. Then there are centers and concert halls such as the Zenith, the Mediatheque and the Congress Center. More recently constructed are the Abattoirs modern art museum and the impressive Cite de l'Espace.

A particular mention is worth making of the Cite de l'Espace - a huge area just on the periphery of the city which opens up quite literally a whole universe of space, stars and space travel, by means of some creative animations and reconstructions. Take a look inside the Russian space station, Mir, or an Arianne rocket. Then go and view space in the impressive IMAX 3D cinema, not forgetting of course the planetarium, an incredible simulation of the universe.

As for high culture, there's lots to be found in Toulouse. Perhaps most impressively, the Capitole Theatre provides a memorable encounter not only with the world-famous Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, but also the impressive Toulouse Opera and ballet companies. The orchestra itself became renowned under the leadership of Michel Plasson, it's chief conductor for many years, with a wide-ranging repertoire ranging from the Baroque to contemporary performances. Today it is in the capable hands of the young Ossetian conductor Tugan Sokhiev, trained in St Petersburg.

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