Located in the southwest of France, Toulouse is a city not to be missed. With its rich historical heritage and sumptuous monuments, the “Pink City” ranks among the most beautiful cities in the country.

But did you know that Toulouse is one of the cradles of aviation and aerospace? And that the local sport is rugby? 

Discover together 21 interesting facts about Toulouse to learn more about this city! 

 

Facts on Toulouse to Learn All About It

Ready to learn all about Toulouse?

Facts are one of the best ways to learn more about something, and I personally love to read them! I’ve put together for you quite a bit of facts on Toulouse; I’ve split them in 4 categories:

  • The best Toulouse facts
  • Fun facts about Toulouse
  • Toulouse facts for kids
  • General facts of Toulouse

Let’s dive in straight away with our first category! 🔥

 

The Best Toulouse Facts

The Southern city of Toulouse has some interesting facts that you will want to learn about. In this first part, it will be about the general best Toulouse facts. 👇

 

1. Toulouse is known as the “Pink City” because of the color of its buildings

You might have heard of Toulouse’s other name, the “Pink City”. Its buildings are mostly made with very pale colored bricks, and it becomes particularly pink at sunset, hence the name.

That was not always the case however. During the 18th century, inhabitants were forced to paint their facades in white for public health reasons. The name “Pink City” first came out in 1906… when the city was still white!

 

1 - toulouse facts about the pink streets

 

2. Toulouse is almost 2,200 years old and was founded by the Romans

Because the Garonne Valley was such a major point for trade between both seas (the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean) and the mountain range between France and Spain, the Pyrenees, a city had to be founded there, and that is why the Romans came up with Tolosa in the 2nd century BC.

It was quickly developed after the conquest of Gaul, from a military outpost to a proper Roman city.

 

3. Toulouse is the European centre for aerospace

This is probably the most important feature of the city, as well as the biggest reason for it to be renowned. In Toulouse, you can find the headquarters of Airbus, the European aerospace leader.

On top of that, there is the Aerospace Valley, the Toulouse Space Centre and the SPOT satellite system. You can visit the “Cité de l’Espace” to learn more about all of it.

 

4. The Toulousian cuisine is reputed, and you can eat some very good dishes there

The culinary culture is very rich in Toulouse. The most famous dishes are the classic French cassoulet, the duck confit and the Toulouse sausage.

The cassoulet is a casserole made of meat, pork skin and white beans. Duck confit is one of the finest French dishes, using a whole duck and salt curing it. The Toulouse sausage is quite well known in France, made of pork and salt and pepper.

 

5. It is said that Toulouse is haunted in the Paul-Feuga alleys

A specific house, located in the Paul-Feuga alleys in Toulouse, is said to be haunted. It is in a neo-gothic style and was built by painter Henri Rachou. Rachou is famous for having decorated the Hall of Illustrious in the Capitol.

He presumably murdered one of his models, who’s still haunting the place to this day. This story has been kept alive by inhabitants for decades.

 

6. On a lot of gates of the city, there is a dot next to the number

If you have ever been to Toulouse, you must have noticed one of the biggest peculiarities of the city: on many gates, you can see a dot right next to the number, in the bottom right-hand corner.

This is a unique feature of Toulouse, and that does not have to do anything with aesthetics. In fact, this dot was added because engravers at that time were illiterate, and had no idea of the right direction to hang the number.

 

7. Rugby is by far the most important local sport

Toulouse FC, the local football team, was for a long time part of “Ligue 1”, the highest football division in France (it is now in Ligue 2), but the rugby team “Stade Toulousain” is always on top, and is very popular among locals.

Their colors are red and black and their games are almost always sold out. Don’t worry though, the region as a whole loves rugby, and you can still see games around the city.

 

8. The fountains around the city are a both beautiful and kind act from Sir Wallace

If you walked around Toulouse, you must have seen some beautiful fountains, still usable to this day. They were an initiative of Sir Wallace.

In 1870, after the siege of Paris, lots of aqueducts were destroyed, and the lower-class did not have access to free water anymore. Wallace then asked to build lots of fountains. The 4 women holding the fountains represent simplicity, kindness, charity and sobriety.

 

9. There was a beer king that sold his soul to the devil

Gambrinus was an icon of beer and joviality. He was a legendary culture hero, often said to be the count of Flanders and Brabant. He remains in the annals as the king of beer to this day.

According to the legend, he sold his soul to the devil to learn the secret of brewing beer. On the facade of a building that once was a brewery, in Toulouse, you can see a statue of Gambrinus, as a tribute to this joyful king.

 

10. There are many museums and several theme parks in Toulouse

The architecture in Toulouse is beautiful. This can be seen especially among museums. The most beautiful and famous ones are the fine arts museum “Musée des Augustins”, the archaeological museum “Musée Saint-Raymond” and the decorative arts museum “Musée Paul Dupuy”.

About theme parks, you can visit the “Cité de l’Espace”, “Aeroscopia” (an aeronautical theme park) and “Halle de la Machine” (a hall of animated machines).

 

10 - facts about toulouse france cite de lespace

La Cité de L’Espace in Toulouse

And that’s it for the 10 best facts about Toulouse France. Now, there’s the fun part. 

 

Fun Facts About Toulouse

Toulouse is a truly surprising city. I will now give you my 6 fun facts that you probably don’t know about:

 

11. There is Japanese culture in Toulouse

Though they are obviously not a major part of the city, several Japanese gardens can still be visited in Toulouse, and you will be surprised by how beautiful they are.

The most famous of them is called the “Jardin Japonais” (Japanese Garden), and you can enter it freely. There, you can see a classic yet stunning japanese-styled park with a koi pond, a tea pavilion and a stone garden.

 

12. A stained-glass window in St. Stephen’s Cathedral was reassembled… very arbitrarily

Unfortunately, the Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Toulouse suffered a huge explosion a long time ago. While the building itself was quickly restored, the stained-glass windows were reconstructed in a hurry, and sometimes it was a very bad idea.

Especially the one with the head of Jesus Christ… because he now has a pair of breasts.

 

12 - cathedrale saint etienne toulouse

Saint Stephen’s Cathedral in Toulouse

13. The city of Toulouse has turned an old slaughterhouse into a wonderful museum of modern art

Historically, Toulouse has always had an important artistic heritage. While you can see that in the tons of museums there as well as in the streets and on the buildings, the most amazing place is actually… an old slaughterhouse.

“Les Abattoirs” (which means the slaughterhouses) is a fantastic museum of modern art with over 2,300 pieces of work now. It is also one of the most popular attractions in the city.

 

13 - les abattoirs toulouse

Les Abattoirs entry

14. A fountain in Toulouse was made with 4 Manneken-Pis… but was considered too indecent

The Manneken-Pis is one of the major symbols of the city of Brussels, Belgium. It is literally a “little pissing man” that urinates in one of the city’s fountains.

In Toulouse, there is a fountain called “Le Griffoul” that used to have 4 of them! However, the inhabitants at the time it was built were outraged and found it very indecent. The fountain now has 4 cherubs, and the water flows through their arms.

 

15. There is a street in Toulouse with a fake General name

Toulouse is known for its funny street names, but one of them beats them all. In the city, you will find the “rue du Maréchal Clabel” (Marshal Clabel street). While that sounds like an important military person, Clabel never existed!

In Occitan, “Mal Clabel” means “poorly paved”, and it was supposed to be the name of the street, but a distracted workman turned this name into “Marshal Clabel”.

 

15 - pink streets in toulouse

 

16. The Black Death was not as deadly as the God’s wrath in Toulouse

You heard that right. The Black Death was a very deadly disease that decimated Europe for years, and it is still today the deadliest pandemic in history. But in Toulouse, Apollo, at the time of the Romans, was angrier than the disease.

When soldiers plundered his temple, they were all struck by a sudden and fatal illness. Later, the stolen goods were buried in a lake, which is now where the church of Saint Sernin stands.

 

So these were my Toulouse fun facts! The last part will be about facts for kids. 👇

 

Toulouse Facts for Kids

Though every fact on this list is suited for kids, I want to dedicate a special part to the youngsters.

Eternally curious and thirsty for knowledge, I hope they will be happy with these 5 facts I have for them. 

 

17. Toulouse was the capital of several kingdoms

When Toulouse was first founded by the Romans, they probably never thought of how important it would become throughout centuries. It was indeed not only the local capital, but also the capital of kingdoms.

First, in the 5th century, it was the capital of the Visigothic Kingdom. Then, in the late Middle Ages, the capital of the province of Languedoc. Today, it is the capital of the Occitanie region, which is the second largest region in Metropolitan France.

 

18. There are 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Toulouse

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are an easy way to see how important historically and culturally a city is. In Toulouse, you can find three of them: the “Canal du Midi” (which is shared with other cities), the Basilica of Saint Sernin and the former hospital “Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques”, significantly important for the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

You can read more about it on the official UNESCO page.

 

18 - toulouse hospital

Hôtel-Dieu Saint-Jacques

19. Toulouse is the 4th largest city in France

Only Paris, Lyon and Marseille are more populated than Toulouse. The Pink City gathers approximately 487,000 inhabitants, and more than 1,300,000 people if you include the metropolitan area.

The growth of the metropolitan area in terms of demographics is the biggest one of any French metropolitan area (that are larger than half a million inhabitants).

 

20. One of the two French 24-hour clocks can be found in Toulouse

That’s right, there are only two clocks in France that have a 24-hour dial. One of them is located in Toulouse, and that means that the hand only does one circle around the clock.

In case you want to see it, head to 59, rue Alsace Lorraine. Those clocks are usually reserved for aerospace use though.

 

21. The University of Toulouse is one of the oldest in Europe

When it comes down to education, Toulouse has the fourth largest university campus in France. Only the ones in Paris, Lyon and Lille are bigger.

In fact, its university, the University of Toulouse, is one of the oldest ones in all of Europe. It was established in 1229 after the Sorbonne model in Paris, and it was meant to dissolve the heretic movement at that time. Now, it has over 100,000 students.

 

21 - toulouse facts for kids about education

Le Capitole

And we’re done, these were all the 21 interesting facts about the city of Toulouse, France. I hope you enjoyed them and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about the city, or the country as a whole, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

 

General Facts of Toulouse

You’ll find below a few general facts of Toulouse, to learn more about this French city:

  • Name: Toulouse
  • Province: Toulouse
  • Region: Occitanie
  • Land area: 118.3 km² / 45.7 sq mi
  • Population: 487,000
  • Name of inhabitants: Toulousain, Toulousaine (French) / Toulousian (English)
  • Website: Toulouse

 

Toulouse Flag

flag of toulouse

 

More Facts!

Want to learn more facts about France?

Well, I have other France facts posts I’m sure you’ll love reading!

Here is the main guide of the best France facts 👉 The 60 Best Facts about France

Check out these France facts by city:

Or these French facts by region:

You can also check these French facts by topic: 

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

 

The Full List of 21 Toulouse Facts

  1. Toulouse is known as the “Pink City” because of the color of its buildings
  2. Toulouse is almost 2,200 years old and was founded by the Romans
  3. Toulouse is the European centre for aerospace
  4. The Toulousian cuisine is reputed, and you can eat some very good dishes there
  5. It is said that Toulouse is haunted in the Paul-Feuga alleys
  6. On a lot of gates of the city, there is a dot next to the number
  7. Rugby is by far the most important local sport
  8. The fountains around the city are a both beautiful and kind act from Sir Wallace
  9. There was a beer king that sold his soul to the devil
  10. There are many museums and several theme parks in Toulouse
  11. There is Japanese culture in Toulouse
  12. A stained-glass window in St. Stephen’s Cathedral was reassembled… very arbitrarily
  13. The city of Toulouse has turned an old slaughterhouse into a wonderful museum of modern art
  14. A fountain in Toulouse was made with 4 Manneken-Pis… but was considered too indecent
  15. There is a street in Toulouse with a fake General name
  16. The Black Death was not as deadly as the God’s wrath in Toulouse
  17. Toulouse was the capital of several kingdoms
  18. There are 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Toulouse
  19. Toulouse is the 4th largest city in France
  20. One of the two French 24-hour clocks can be found in Toulouse
  21. The University of Toulouse is one of the oldest in Europe

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