Place du Capitole
Heart of the city.
FrDr — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · PierreSelim — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Diego Delso — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pistolero — CC BY 3.0 · Pistolero — CC BY 3.0
The Capitole de Toulouse is the city hall of Toulouse, the capital of the Occitanie region in south-west France. Its long pink-brick facade fills the east side of the Place du Capitole, the large square at the heart of the city. The site has been the seat of the city's government since 1190, when the capitouls, the magistrates who ran Toulouse, built their first house here. The name, chosen in 1522, recalls the Capitol of ancient Rome. The present facade, about 135 m long, was designed by Guillaume Cammas and completed in 1760. Its centre has eight columns of pink marble, one for each of the original capitouls. The building also houses the Théâtre du Capitole, the city's opera house. Visitors can usually walk up to the grand ceremonial rooms, among them the Salle des Illustres with its large 19th-century paintings, when they are not in use for official events. Behind the building stand a Renaissance gateway and the old keep, which now holds the tourist office. The square in front is paved and free of cars, lined with cafés, and one side has arcades with painted ceilings. In the evening the facade is lit up, and the Basilica of Saint-Sernin is about 400 m away.
Heart of the city.
Grand paintings.
The lit facade.
Place du Capitole, Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France
Yes, the ceremonial rooms are usually free when not in use.
The Basilica of Saint-Sernin and the Pont Neuf.
