Place Du Capitole And Its Tourists, At Dusk, In Haute Garonne, In Occitanie, France Editorial Image

The fruit of classical town planning and the desire to provide the city with a vast square, the first projects for a “royal square” saw the light of day at the end of the seventeenth century. However, the gradual clearing of the square did not begin until the beginning of the 18th century. It is also for the consuls of the city, the capitouls, to magnify their power by the enhancement of their `Common House`, the Capitol, whose monumental facade, which involves the best Toulouse artists of the time. , is high at the same time. The Place du Capitole then becomes the heart of the city: market place, place of festivals, but also place of the guillotine during the French Revolution. It was in the first half of the 19th century that the square finally took on its current appearance: the south, north and west sides were successively built in the neoclassical style between 1809 and 1852 on the plans of the city architect, Jacques-Pascal Virebent. At that time, the Place du Capitole was lined with large cafes, restaurants and hotels, such as Bibent or Florida, which spread out their terraces.