Toul () is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

in north-eastern France. It is a

sub-prefecture A subprefecture is an administrative division of a country that is below prefecture or province. Albania There are twelve Albanian counties or prefectures, each of which is divided into several districts, sometimes translated as subprefecture ...

of the department.

Geography

Toul is between Commercy and Nancy, and the river

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...

and Canal de la Marne au Rhin.

Climate

Toul has a

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

( Köppen climate classification ''Cfb''). The average annual temperature in Toul is . The average annual rainfall is with June as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in July, at around , and lowest in January, at around . The highest temperature ever recorded in Toul was on 11 August 1998; the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 9 January 1985.

History

Toul was known to the Romans as , and was the capital of the Gaulish tribe of the Leuci. In 550, King Theudebald convoked a synod at Toul. In 612, King Theudebert II of

Austrasia Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the F ...

was defeated by King Theuderic II of Burgundy near Toul. By the Treaty of Meerssen of 870, Toul became part of

East Francia East Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's Carolingian Empire, empire ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was created through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided t ...

, the later Holy Roman Empire. During the High Middle Ages, it became a Free Imperial City. Toul was annexed to France by King Henry II in 1552; this was recognized by the Holy Roman Empire in the

Peace of Westphalia The Peace of Westphalia (german: Westfälischer Friede, ) is the collective name for two peace treaties signed in October 1648 in the Westphalian cities of Osnabrück and Münster. They ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and brought pea ...

of 1648. It then was a part of the French province of the Three Bishoprics. Toul was the seat of the

bishops of Toul The Diocese of Toul was a Roman Catholic diocese seated at Toul in present-day France. It existed from 365 until 1802. From 1048 until 1552 (''de jure'' until 1648), it was also a state of the Holy Roman Empire. History The diocese was erect ...

; the diocese was founded around 365 and existed until 1807. During the siege of 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War, the last time that Toul's defenses were used as a classic fortress, 64 guns opened fire at 6:00 a.m. on 23 September, and the fortress surrendered at 3:00 p.m. after 2,433 shells had been fired. The city was also the primary base of the Air Service, United States Army, a predecessor organization of the United States Air Force during World War I. As such, it was a base for many of the 45 wartime squadrons of the First Army Air Service, including the squadrons of the

1st Pursuit Group First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

First Army Observation Group First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

and others. The Americans referred to the area around Toul as the Toul Sector. Two large operations were launched from this area: the St. Mihiel Offensive and the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, both in September 1918. During World War II, the American

358th Fighter Group 358th may refer to: * 358th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 358th Fighter Group, inactive United States Army Air Force unit * 358th Fighter Squadron (358 FS), part of the 355th Fighter Wing at Davis-Monthan Air Force B ...

used

Toul-Croix De Metz Airfield Toul-Croix De Metz Airfield is a former military airfield which is located approximately northeast of Toul (Département de Meurthe-et-Moselle, Lorraine); east of Paris. The airfield had its probable origins as early as 1912, as an ''Aéronau ...

(A-90) during the fall of 1944 and spring of 1945, and Toul-Rosières Air Base (BA 136) was an American NATO air base during the 1950s and 1960s.

Population

Sights

The most striking features are the impressive stone ramparts. Those that exist today are the work of

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Seigneur de Vauban, later Marquis de Vauban (baptised 15 May 163330 March 1707), commonly referred to as ''Vauban'' (), was a French military engineer who worked under Louis XIV. He is generally considered the ...

, Louis XIV's military engineer. In 1698 he designed a new enclosure and work began in 1699-1700. Several of Vauban's fortifications in France are listed as a combined UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although the fortifications at Toul are not in that list they do follow the general defiladed fortification pattern for which Vauban is known. There appears to have been a fortified town at this location since the earliest recorded history. Today, the ramparts encircle and define the old town. They are built of dressed white stone, and topped with grass, and in places are over five metres high. There is a great deal of Roman archæology in the area and allegedly some in the town. The Roman fortified town of Grand is some 30 km away, with its great amphitheatre and temple to the

Cult of Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

. The old town's architecture is dominated by past glories in various states of decay, including a major Gothic cathedral, which is in a poor condition and is being slowly restored. Many of the houses were built as canonical residences in the Late Middle Ages and bear vestiges in the form of ornamental stonework. The gothic chapel of the Knights Templar Commandery of Libdeau is undergoing a major restoration. There is no trace of the monastery, however its wine-cellars still exist, under the shops on the north side of the Rue Gambetta. (Access is possible via the Camera Shop).

Transportation

Toul is at the intersection of the river

(which divides into the river proper and the ''Moselle Canalisée'' just outside the town) with the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, and was once, consequently, an important port. The barges known as ''péniches'' still navigate these watercourses commercially, typically carrying steel, though in the summer much more of the water traffic is for pleasure. There is a main-line railway station at Toul, the last major station before the (once vast, and still very large) marshalling yards at Nancy. However, the Paris-Strasbourg TGV line, completed in 2016, passes about 20 km north of Toul, approximately midway between Metz and Nancy.

Economy

The surrounding countryside is a wine-growing region, in which the AOC

Côtes de Toul Côtes de Toul is an ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) for French wine produced in the département of Meurthe-et-Moselle in the Lorraine ''région''. The Côtes de Toul vineyards cover in an area close to Toul, to the west of the city ...

vintage is produced. Particularly notable is the ''Gris de Toul''.

Administration

Toul is the seat and part of the

canton of Toul The canton of Toul is an administrative division of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department, northeastern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Toul. It consists of the following ...

, and of the

arrondissement of Toul The arrondissement of Toul is an arrondissement of France in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in the Grand Est region. It has 111 communes. Its population is 69,151 (2016), and its area is . Composition The communes of the arrondissement of To ...

Twin towns

Hamm Hamm (, Latin: ''Hammona'') is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of 2016 its population was 179,397. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway. Hamm railwa ...

, Germany, since 1987 *

Jaroměř Jaroměř (; german: Jermer) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. It is known for the Josefov Fortress. Josefov is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban m ...

, Czech republic, since 2017

Notable people

* Saint Gerard of Toul, bishop * Antoine Augustin Calmet, monk * Marcel Bigeard, French Army General *

Anne-Laure Blin Anne-Laure Blin (born 12 June 1983) is a French Republican politician who has been Member of Parliament for Maine-et-Loire's 3rd constituency since the 2020 by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and ...

, politician * Mickaël Causse, Neuroscientist * Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr, military leader *

Rachid Hamdani Rachid Hamdani ( ar, رشيد حمداني; born 8 April 1985) is a footballer who last played as a midfielder for Asteras Tripoli. Born in France, he represented Morocco at international level. Club career Hamdani started his career in France pl ...

, footballer * Louis Majorelle, furniture designer and manufacturer * Pascal Vigneron, musician and director of the Bach Toul Festival

Gallery

Toul Mairie.JPG Apothicaire Toul.JPG Monument 02113.JPG France Grand Est 54 Toul 01.jpg France Grand Est 54 Toul 06.jpg Toul Meurthe-et-Moselle Fontaine Louis Curel.JPG Façade du Musée d'Art et d'Histoire de Toul.jpg Cathédrale de Toul-Façade.JPG, Facade Collégiale_Saint-Gengoult_de_Toul.jpg France Grand Est 54 Toul 03.jpg Toul église saint evre.JPG Toul église Saint-Paul croix de Metz.JPG Toul chapelle Notre-Dame.JPG Toul chapelle Lidbeau.JPG Toul chapelle gare cou.JPG Toul Chapelle saint charles hôpital.JPG Toul chapelle abbaye saint mansuy.JPG Toul abbaye saint mansuy.JPG Toul église saint mansuy.JPG Toul Temple.JPG Synagogue Toul.JPG

References

External links

Official site

Toul tourism office

Toul stronghold 1870 - 1915

USAS in France interactive Google Map of bases, etc. at www.usaww1.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toul 1552 disestablishments Communes of Meurthe-et-Moselle Leuci Subprefectures in France Former republics Free imperial cities Vauban fortifications in France Three Bishoprics