Now you know that Toulouse was a city built by the Romans with terracotta bricks over 2 000 years ago, which is why it's known as the pink city.
In Toulouse, whenever you want to build a new structure or make a new development, you always come across Gallo-Roman archeological remains.
Therefore, before any new project, we are obliged to conduct excavations to study this rich and invaluable heritage.
Toulouse: TOLOSA under the Roman Empire:
From the first century onwards, Toulouse had built an ancient Roman theater on the banks of the Garonne River, at the foot of the current " Pont Neuf ".
Toulouse had a population of 20 000 inhabitants and offered plays, entertainment, and music.

The most beautiful vestige of TOLOSA is visible in front of the Prefecture of " Haute- Garonne ".
Indeed, we can observe here the foundations and walls made of terracotta bricks, typical of Roman architecture.
Another visible proof of " TOLOSA " the Roman, is the amphitheater and Romain baths of " Purpan-Ancely ".
These vestiges are evidence of the games the Romans were fond of, including " gladiators ".
During the reign of Claudius, this amphitheater was created with a seating capacity of 7 000 seats.
By the third century, its capacity had increased to 15 000 seats.
At this location, in addition to the amphitheater, there were also houses, baths, a market, and a swimming pool.
At present, the site is not in good condition, but within a year, the municipality plans to restore and enhance it.
In the basement of the Uniqlo store in Toulouse, on " Poids de l'huile " street, there are vestiges of Toulouse, the Ancient Roman city.
These are part of the foundations of the old city of " TOLOSA ".
At the TNT, which is the contemporary art theater of Toulouse, there is a restaurant in the basement that I recommend you try.
In a pleasant setting, there are several food stands where you can serve yourself, pay, and then enjoy your meal.
You can enjoy good local products, fish, sweet foods and even sushi there.
At the back of the room, you can also find traces of Toulouse during the Roman era.
The fortifications of Toulouse in the Christian era:
In the Christian era, Toulouse was promoted and became a Roman colony, which allowed it to have city walls.
The walls were 3 km long, included around 50 towers, and surrounded the 90 hectares of the city.
The construction was solid, using limestone and terracotta, which allowed Toulouse to resist the Arab sieges in 721 and the Catholic crusaders at the beginning of the 13th century.
The fortifications of Toulouse in the Middle Ages:
In the 16th century, new walls were erected .
They can be found in the " Raymond IV " Garden, on the left bank of the Garonne river, in the garden next to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Toulouse.
This wall is 300 meters long and has 4 towers.
They are in perfect condition because they have been renovated.
These walls protected the city on the left bank of the Garonne against the Saracens in 721 and the English during the Hundred Years War.
In 1509, war broke out with the King of Spain and Louis XII wanted better protection for the second city in the kingdom.
He provided Toulouse with a wall consisting of 10 brick towers, of which 3 are still standing today.
You can see them in the photo at the bottom left.
You can see some walls from this era in perfect condition, which have been restored, on " Boulevard Armand du Portal ", along the faculty of law.
The last two photos show vestiges of the Toulouse city walls from the Middle Ages, one can be found on " Allée Jules Guesde " and the other in front of the new University of economics in Toulouse.
The fortifications from the 18th century:
Indeed, in 1789, the urban planner " Louis de Mondran ", due to Toulouse's growth, demolished 170 meters of the city walls.
That is why there are only a few remaining walls, and the most beautiful ones are in the " Raymond IV " Garden.
From the " Saint-Cyprien " market, looking towards the city center, you can see the vestiges of the old city gate. ( Here are the last two photos ).
And it is at this location that you can observed the " Taillefer " tower which is the most remarkable vestige.
It is the largest defensive tower ever built in the city and, in 15th , it was an invincible artillery work.
Later on, it was used to house the sick, particularly those with the plage, to isolate them from the rest of the city.
Today, it houses the school of midwifery.
The " Raymond IV " Garden nowadays:
Nowadays, it is a very pleasant garden.
There is a carousel with games for the little ones and a refreshment stand with a magnificent view of the Garonne River.
As you can see in the second and third photos, you can enter the wall where an art piece is displayed.
That's all for today my friends.
I hope that you will have enjoy to reading this post about Toulouse " TOLOSA ", who was built by the romans with terracotta bricks.
Welcome in Toulouse.
The blog from Toulouse.
Greetings Franck.
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