Toulon (, , ; oc, label=
Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the
French Riviera and a large port on the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on ...
coast, with a major naval base. Located in the
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pre ...
region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...
, and the
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...
, Toulon is the prefecture of the
Var department.
The Commune of Toulon has a population of 176,198 people (2018), making it France's 13th-largest city. It is the centre of an
urban unit with 580,281 inhabitants (2018), the ninth largest in France. Toulon is the third-largest French city on the Mediterranean coast after
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
and
Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative ...
.
Toulon is an important centre for naval construction, fishing, wine making, and the manufacture of aeronautical equipment, armaments, maps, paper, tobacco, printing, shoes, and electronic equipment.
The
military port of Toulon is the major
naval centre on France's Mediterranean coast, home of the French aircraft carrier ''
Charles de Gaulle'' and her battle group. The
French Mediterranean Fleet is based in Toulon.
History
Prehistory to the Roman era
Archaeological excavations, such as those at the
Cosquer Cave near
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...
, show that the coast of
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
was inhabited since at least the
Paleolithic era.
Greek colonists came from
Phocaea,
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
, in about the 7th century BC and established trading depots along the coast, including one, called Olbia, at Saint-Pierre de l'Almanarre south of
Hyères, to the east of Toulon. The
Ligurians
The Ligures (singular Ligur; Italian: liguri; English: Ligurians) were an ancient people after whom Liguria, a region of present-day north-western Italy, is named.
Ancient Liguria corresponded more or less to the current Italian reg ...
settled in the area beginning in the 4th century BC.
In the 2nd century BC, the residents of Massalia (present-day Marseille) called upon the
Romans to help them pacify the region. The Romans defeated the Ligurians and began to start their own colonies along the coast. A Roman settlement was founded at the present location of Toulon, with the name Telo Martius – Telo, either for the goddess of springs or from the Latin ''tol'', the base of the hill – and
Martius, for the god of war. Telo Martius became one of the two principal Roman
dye
A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution and ...
manufacturing centres, producing the purple colour used in imperial robes, made from the local sea snail called
murex, and from the acorns of the oak trees. Toulon harbour became a shelter for trading ships, and the name of the town gradually changed from Telo to Tholon, Tolon, and Toulon.
Arrival of Christianity and the Counts of Provence
Toulon was Christianized in the 5th century, and the first cathedral built.
Honoratus
Honoratus (french: Saint Honorat; c. 350 – 6 January 429) was the founder of Lérins Abbey who later became an early Archbishop of Arles. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Life
Honoratus was born in the n ...
and Gratianus of Toulon (Gratien), according to the ''
Gallia Christiana'', were the first bishops of
Toulon, but
Louis Duchesne gives
Augustalis as the first historical bishop. He assisted at councils in 441 and 442 and signed in 449 and 450 the letters addressed to
Pope Leo I
Pope Leo I ( 400 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great, was bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death. Pope Benedict XVI said that Leo's papacy "was undoubtedly one of the most important in the Church's history."
Leo was ...
from the
province of Arles.
A
Saint Cyprian, disciple and biographer of
St. Cæsarius of Arles, is also mentioned as a Bishop of Toulon. His episcopate, begun in 524, had not come to an end in 541; he converted to Catholicism two
Visigothic
The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...
chiefs, Mandrier and Flavian, who became
anchorites and martyrs on the peninsula of Mandrier. As barbarians invaded the region and Roman power crumbled, the town was frequently attacked by pirates and the
Saracens. In 1095, a new cathedral was built in the city by Count Gilbert of
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
.
Royal port (15th–18th centuries)
In 1486, Provence became part of France. Soon afterwards, in 1494,
Charles VIII of France, with the intention of making France a sea power on the Mediterranean, and to support his military campaign in Italy, began constructing a military port at the harbor of Toulon. His Italian campaign failed, and in 1497, the rulers of
Genoa
Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...
, who controlled commerce on that part of the Mediterranean, blockaded the new port.
In 1524, as part of his longtime battle against Emperor
Charles V and the
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a political entity in Western, Central, and Southern Europe that developed during the Early Middle Ages and continued until its dissolution in 1806 during the Napoleonic Wars.
From the accession of Otto I in 962 unt ...
, King
François I
Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin once ...
of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
completed a powerful new fort, the
Tour Royale, Toulon, at the entrance of the harbour. However, a few months later the commander of the new fort sold it to the commander of an Army of the Holy Roman Empire, and Toulon surrendered.
In 1543, Francis I found a surprising new ally in his battle against the Holy Roman Empire. He invited the fleet of
Ottoman Admiral
Barbarossa
Barbarossa, a name meaning "red beard" in Italian, primarily refers to:
* Frederick Barbarossa (1122–1190), Holy Roman Emperor
* Hayreddin Barbarossa (c. 1478–1546), Ottoman admiral
* Operation Barbarossa, the Axis invasion of the Soviet Uni ...
to Toulon as part of the
Franco-Ottoman alliance. The residents were forced to leave, and the Ottoman sailors occupied the town for the winter. See
Ottoman occupation of Toulon
The Ottoman wintering in Toulon occurred during the winter of 1543–44, following the Franco-Ottoman Siege of Nice, as part of the combined operations under the Franco-Ottoman alliance.
Wintering in Toulon
The Ottomans were offered by Franci ...
.
In 1646, a fleet was gathered in Toulon for the major
Battle of Orbetello, also known as the Battle of Isola del Giglio, commanded by France's first Grand Admiral, the young Grand Admiral Marquis of Brézé, Jean Armand de Maillé-Bréze of 36 galleons, 20 galleys, and a large complement of minor vessels. This fleet carried aboard an army of 8,000 infantry and 800 cavalry and its baggage under Thomas of Savoy, shortly before a general in Spanish service.
King
Louis XIV
Louis XIV (Louis Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was List of French monarchs, King of France from 14 May 1643 until his death in 1715. His reign of 72 years and 110 days is the Li ...
was determined to make France a major sea power. In 1660, his Minister
Jean-Baptiste Colbert ordered
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban to build a new arsenal and to fortify the town. In 1707, during the
War of the Spanish Succession, Toulon successfully resisted a siege by the Imperial Army led by Duke
Victor Amadeus II of Sardinia of
Savoy and
Prince Eugene. However, in 1720, the city was ravaged by the
black plague, coming from Marseille. Thirteen thousand people, or half the population, died.
In 1790, following the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
, Toulon became the administrative centre of the département of the
Var. However, in 1793, the
Jacobin administration of the city was swept from power, allowing
Girondins
The Girondins ( , ), or Girondists, were members of a loosely knit political faction during the French Revolution. From 1791 to 1793, the Girondins were active in the Legislative Assembly and the National Convention. Together with the Montagnard ...
and royalists to take their place; the city then rose up against the central administration of the First Republic and joined the
Federalist revolts. The new Federalist administration surrendered the city and its fleet to the British. French Republican forces then undertook the
siege of Toulon, forcing the British to withdraw, taking a number of ships with them and destroying the rest of them.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
served as an artillery captain during the event. To punish Toulon for its rebellion, the town lost its status as department capital and was briefly renamed Port-de-la-Montagne.
19th century
During the
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...
, from 1803 until 1805 a British fleet led by Admiral
Horatio Nelson blockaded Toulon.
In 1820, the statue which became known as the
Venus de Milo was discovered on the Greek island of Milo and seen by a French naval officer, Emile Voutier. He persuaded the French Ambassador to Turkey to buy it, and brought it to Toulon on his ship, the ''Estafette''. From Toulon it was taken to the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the '' Venus de Milo''. A central ...
.
In 1820 Toulon became the base for the conquest of France's colonies in North Africa. In 1820 a French fleet with an army departed from Toulon for the conquest of
Algeria
)
, image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Algiers
, coordinates =
, largest_city = capital
, relig ...
.
1849, during the brief Second French Republic,
Georges-Eugène Haussmann was named Prefect of the Var. During his year as prefect, he began a major reconstruction of the city, similar to what he would later do in Paris. He tore down large parts of the old fortifications and built new boulevards and squares. The new
Toulon Opera House, the second-largest in France, opened in 1862.
In 1867, on the orders of
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...
General
François Achille Bazaine
François Achille Bazaine (13 February 181123 September 1888) was an officer of the French army. Rising from the ranks, during four decades of distinguished service (including 35 years on campaign) under Louis-Philippe and then Napoleon III, he ...
arrived in Toulon without an official welcome after abandoning the Mexican military campaign and Emperor
Maximilian I of Mexico.
20th century
In August 1935, a year before the reign of the
Popular Front, violent uprisings of the workers of the Toulon shipyards opposed the
policy of austerity. This resulted in a large number of deaths and injuries; a
state of emergency
A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to be able to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state du ...
was imposed.
During World War II, after the
Allied landings in North Africa (
Operation Torch) the German Army occupied southern France (
Case Anton), leading French naval officers to
scuttle the French Fleet based at Toulon on 27 November 1942. The city was bombed by the Allies in November of the following year, with much of the port destroyed and five hundred residents killed. Toulon was liberated by the
Free French Forces of General
Jean de Lattre de Tassigny on 28 August 1944 in the
Battle of Toulon.
In 1974, Toulon became again the préfecture, or administrative centre, of the Var. Five years later the
University of Toulon opened. Toulon was one of four French cities where the extreme-right
Front National
The National Rally (french: Rassemblement National, ; RN), until 2018 known as the National Front (french: link=no, Front National, ; FN), is a far-rightAbridged list of reliable sources that refer to National Rally as far-right:
Academic:
* ...
won the local elections in 1995. The Front National was voted out of power in 2001.
Main sights
Old Town
The old town of Toulon, the historic centre between the port, the Boulevard de Strasbourg and the Cours Lafayette, is a pedestrian area with narrow streets, small squares and many fountains.
Toulon Cathedral is there. The area is also home of the celebrated
Provençal market, which takes place every morning on the Cours Lafayette and features local products. The old town decayed in the 1980s and 1990s, but recently many of the fountains and squares have been restored and many new shops have opened.
Fountains of Old Toulon
File:Toulon Fountains 2.jpg, Fontaine du Dauphin, Place Paul Comte. The fountain, on the wall of the Bishop's residence, appears in the drawings of Toulon made for Louis XIV in 1668.
File:Toulon Place Puget Fountain.jpg, Fontaine des Trois Dauphins, Place Puget (1782)
File:Toulon Fountains 1.jpg, Fontaine de l'Intendance, Place Amiral Sénès, (1821)
File:Toulon Fountains 4.jpg, The Fontaine-Lavoir de Saint-Vincent, Place Saint-Vincent (1832), replaced the original fountain built in 1615. It had a fountain for drinking water and two basins, for washing clothes, one for washing and one for rinsing.
File:Toulon Faron3 P1440701-P1440708.jpg, View of downtown Toulon and Mediterranean Sea from Mount Faron
The Old Town of Toulon is known for its fountains, found in many of the small squares, each with a different character. The original system of fountains was built in the late 17th century; most were rebuilt in the 18th or early 19th century and have recently been restored.
Upper Town of Georges-Eugène Haussmann
The upper town, between the Boulevard de Strasbourg and the railway station, was built in the mid-19th century under
Louis Napoleon. The project was begun by
Georges-Eugène Haussmann, who was prefect of the Var in 1849. Improvements to the neighbourhood included the
Toulon Opera, the Place de la Liberté, the Grand Hôtel, the Gardens of Alexander I, the Chalucet Hospital, the Palais de Justice, the train station, and the building now occupied by
Galeries Lafayette
The Galeries Lafayette () is an upmarket French department store chain, the biggest in Europe. Its flagship store is on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris but it now operates in a number of other locations in France and oth ...
, among others. Haussmann went on to use the same style on a much grander scale in the rebuilding of central Paris.
Harbour and Arsenal
Toulon harbour is one of the best natural anchorages on the Mediterranean and one of the largest harbours in Europe. A naval arsenal and shipyard was built in 1599, and a small sheltered harbour, the Veille Darse, was built in 1604–1610 to protect ships from the wind and sea. The shipyard was greatly enlarged by
Cardinal Richelieu, who wished to make France a Mediterranean naval power. Further additions were made by
Jean-Baptiste Colbert and
Vauban.
Le Mourillon
Le Mourillon is a small seaside neighbourhood to the east of Toulon, near the entrance of the harbour. It was once a fishing village, and then became the home of many of the officers of the French fleet. Mourillon has a small fishing port, next to a 16th-century fort, Fort Saint Louis, which was reconstructed by Vauban. In the 1970s the city of Toulon built a series of sheltered sandy beaches in Mourillon, which today are very popular with the Toulonais and naval families. The Museum of Asian Art is in a house on the waterfront near Fort St. Louis.
Mount Faron
Mount Faron () dominates the city of Toulon. The top can be reached by cable car from Toulon or by a narrow, terrifying road that ascends from the west side and descends on the east side. The road is one of the most challenging stages of the annual
Paris–Nice and
Tour Méditerranéen
Tour or Tours may refer to:
Travel
* Tourism, travel for pleasure
* Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service
* Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus
* Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...
bicycle races.
At the top of Mount Faron is a memorial dedicated to the 1944 Allied landings in Provence (
Operation Dragoon), and to the liberation of Toulon.
Vauban's fortifications
Beginning in 1678,
Vauban constructed an elaborate system of fortifications around Toulon. Some parts, such as the section that once ran along the present-day Boulevard de Strasbourg, were removed in the mid-19th century so the city could be enlarged, but other parts remain. One part that can be visited is the Porte d'Italie, one of the old city gates.
Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...
departed on his triumphant Italian campaign from this gate in 1796.
Museums
Toulon has a number of museums.
The Museum of the French Navy (Musée national de la marine) is located on Place Monsenergue, next on the west side of the old port, a short distance from the Hotel de Ville. The museum was founded in 1814, during the reign of the Emperor Napoleon. It is located today behind what was formerly the monumental gate to the Arsenal of Toulon, built in 1738. The museum building, along with the clock tower next to it, is one of the few buildings of the port and arsenal which survived Allied bombardments during World War II. It contains displays tracing the history of Toulon as a port of the
French Navy
The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...
. Highlights include large 18th-century ship models used to teach seamanship and models of the aircraft carrier ''
Charles De Gaulle''.
The Museum of Old Toulon and its Region (Musée du vieux Toulon et de sa région). The Museum was founded in 1912, and contains a collection of maps, paintings, drawings, models and other artifacts showing the history of the city.
The Museum of Asian Arts (Musée des arts asiatiques), in Mourillon. Located in a house with garden which once belonged to the son and later the grandson of author
Jules Verne, the museum contains a small but interesting collection of art objects, many donated by naval officers from the time of the French colonization of Southeast Asia. It includes objects and paintings from India, China, Southeast Asia, Tibet and Japan.
The Museum of Art (Musée d'art) was created in 1888, and contains collections of modern and contemporary art, as well as paintings of Provence from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century. It owns works by landscape artists of Provence from the late 19th century (
Paul Guigou,
Auguste Aiguier,
Vincent Courdouan,
Félix Ziem
Félix Ziem (26 February 1821 – 10 November 1911) was a French painter in the style of the Barbizon School, who also produced some Orientalist works.
Biography
He was born Félix-Francois Georges Philibert Ziem in Beaune in the Côte-d'O ...
), and the Fauves of Provence (
Charles Camoin
Charles Camoin (; 23 September 1879 – 20 May 1965) was a French expressionist landscape painter associated with the Fauves.
''Les Fauves: A Sourcebook'', by Russell T. Clement,
p. 2, web:
-->&lpg=PA2 Google Books
Born in Marseille, Franc ...
,
Auguste Chabaud,
Louis Mathieu Verdilhan). The contemporary collections contain works from 1960 to today representing the New Realism Movement (Arman, César,
Christo, Klein, Raysse); Minimalist Art (
Sol LeWitt
Solomon "Sol" LeWitt (September 9, 1928 – April 8, 2007) was an American artist linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism.
LeWitt came to fame in the late 1960s with his wall drawings and "structures" (a term he pref ...
,
Donald Judd); Support Surface (Cane, Viallat côtoient Arnal, Buren, Chacallis) and an important collection of photographs by
Henri Cartier-Bresson
Henri Cartier-Bresson (; 22 August 1908 – 3 August 2004) was a French humanist photographer considered a master of candid photography, and an early user of 35mm film. He pioneered the genre of street photography, and viewed photography as ca ...
,
Dieuzaide,
Edouard Boubat,
Willy Ronis
Willy Ronis (; 14 August 191012 September 2009) was a French photographer. His best-known work shows life in post-war Paris and Provence.
Life and work
Ronis was born in Paris; his father, Emmanuel Ronis, was a Jewish refugee from Odessa, and hi ...
and
André Kertész).
The Memorial Museum to the Landings in Provence (Mémorial du débarquement de Provence) is located on the summit of Mount Faron, this small museum, opened in 1964 by President
Charles De Gaulle, commemorates the Allied landing in Provence in August 1944 with photos, weapons and models.
The Museum of Natural History of Toulon and the Var (Musée d'histoire naturelle de Toulon et du Var) was founded in 1888, has a large collection of displays about dinosaurs, birds, mammals, and minerals, mostly from the region.
The Hôtel des arts was opened in 1998, presents five exhibits a year of works by well-known contemporary artists. Featured artists have included
Sean Scully
Sean Scully (born 30 June 1945) is an Irish-born American-based artist working as a painter, printmaker, sculptor and photographer. His work is held in museum collections worldwide and he has twice been named a Turner Prize nominee. Moving fro ...
,
Jannis Kounellis,
Claude Viallat
Claude Viallat (born 1936) is a French contemporary painter.
Biography
Born in Nîmes, he grew up in Aubais, a French village with a strong bull tradition. In 1955, he joined the École des Beaux-Arts (Fine Arts School) in Montpellier, where h ...
,
Per Kirkeby, and
Vik Muniz.
Other points of interest
*
Jardin d'acclimatation du Mourillon
*
Tour Royale, Toulon
Climate
Toulon is subtropical, featuring a
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...
: Csa), characterised by abundant and strong sunshine, dry summers, and rain which is rare but sometimes torrential; and by hot summers and mild winters. Because of its proximity to the sea, the temperature is relatively moderate.
The average temperature in January, the coldest month, is , the warmest of any city in metropolitan France. In January the maximum average temperature is . and the average minimum temperature is .
The average temperature in July, the warmest month, is , with an average maximum of . and an average minimal temperature of .
According to data collected by
Météo-France, Toulon is the city in metropolitan France with the most sunshine per year: an average of 2,856 hours a year from 1999 to 2008, compared with 2,695 hours a year for Nice and 2,472 hours for Perpignan. This is due to the wall of mountains that largely protects Toulon from the weather coming from north. With an yearly average temperature of , it is also one of the warmest cities in metropolitan France.
Average rainfall is 665 millimetres per year. The driest month is July with , and the wettest is October, with . It rains on less than 60 days per year (an average of 59.7 days) and the amount of precipitation is very unequal in the different seasons. In February, the month with the most rain, it rains 7.1 days, but with only of rain, while in October there are 5.9 days of rain. July, with 1.3 days of rain, is usually the driest month, but the driest month can fall anywhere between May and September. Autumn is characterized by torrential but brief rains; in winter there is more precipitation, spread out over longer periods.
Because of the proximity to the sea, freezing temperatures are rare; an average of 2.9 days a year, and lasting frosts (when the maximum temperature remains less or equal to zero) are non-existent. Snow is also very rare (barely 1.5 days per year on average) and it is even more rare for the snow to last during the day (0.3 days a year on average).
One distinctive feature of the Toulon climate is the wind, with 115 days a year of strong winds; usually either the cold and dry
Mistral or the
Tramontane from the north, the wet
Marin; or the
Sirocco sometimes bearing reddish sand from Africa; or the wet and stormy
Levant
The Levant () is an approximate historical geographical term referring to a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean region of Western Asia. In its narrowest sense, which is in use today in archaeology and other cultural contexts, it is ...
from the east. (See
Winds of Provence.) The windiest month is January, with an average of 12.5 days of strong winds. The least windy month is September, with 7 days of strong winds. In winter, the Mistral can make the air feel extremely cold, even though the temperature is mild.
The climate is dry and the humidity in Toulon is usually low. The average humidity is 56 percent, with little variation throughout the year; the driest months are July and August with 50 percent, and the most humid months are November and December with 60 percent.
Population
Education
Toulon has a
conservatory (
Conservatoire TPM, part of
Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Toulon) which taught music, theater, dance and circus and an
art academy
An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-second ...
called
École supérieure d'art et de design Toulon Provence Méditerranée. Toulon is also home to a number of institutes of the
University of Toulon, known until 2013 as University of the South, Toulon-Var. Toulon has a campus of
KEDGE Business School.
Literature
Toulon figures prominently in
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
's ''
Les Misérables
''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century.
In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...
''. It is the location of the infamous prison, the
bagne of Toulon
The Bagne of Toulon was the notorious prison in Toulon, France, made famous as the place of imprisonment of the fictional Jean Valjean, the hero of Victor Hugo's novel ''Les Misérables''. It was opened in 1748 and closed in 1873.
Origins: t ...
, in which the protagonist Jean Valjean spends nineteen years in hard labour. Toulon is also the birthplace of the novel's antagonist,
Javert. One portion of the wall of the old bagne, or prison, where Jean Valjean was supposedly held still stands to the right of the entrance of the Old Harbour.
In
Anthony Powell's novel ''
What's Become of Waring
''What's Become of Waring'' is the fifth novel by the English writer Anthony Powell. It is his final novel of the 1930s, and the only one not published by Powell's first employer and publisher, Duckworth. Published in 1939, Powell's book was over ...
'' the central characters spend a long summer holiday in Toulon's old town. Powell himself stayed at the Hotel du Port et des Negociants on two occasions in the early 1930s and writes in the second volume of his memoirs ''The naval port, with its small inner harbour, row of cafés along the rade, was quite separate from the business quarter of the town. A paddle steamer plied several times a day between this roadstead and the agreeably unsophisticated plage of Les Sablettes''.
Joseph Conrad's last novel, ''
The Rover'', is also set around Toulon.
The last half of
Dewey Lambdin's historical fiction novel, ''H.M.S. Cockerel'', (the sixth novel in his
Alan Lewrie naval adventure series) details the
Siege of Toulon from Lewrie's perspective, as he commands a commandeered French barge carrying sea mortars against Lieutenant-Colonel Bonaparte's forces.
Transport
Harbor with ferry
Toulon is served by the
Gare de Toulon railway station, offering suburban services to Marseille (1 train every 15minutes during rush hour), Nice, Paris and regional destinations. The port of Toulon is the main port of departure for ferries to
Corsica. The nearest airport is the regional
Toulon-Hyères Airport. The
A50 autoroute connects Toulon to Marseille, the
A57 autoroute runs from Toulon to Le Luc, where it connects to the
A8 autoroute
The A8 autoroute, also known as La Provençale, is a -long highway in France that runs between Aix-en-Provence and the A7 to the Côte d'Azur.
Route
The A8 is an extension of the A7 starting to the west of Aix-en-Provence at La Fare-les-Oli ...
.
Gastronomy
Local food highlights include:
*cuisine from the Mediterranean and from Provence
*the ''cade toulonnaise'', a local speciality composed of chickpea flour and which is equivalent to the
Socca of Nice
*the Chichi Frégi, a type of donut from Provence.
*Smash Sandwiches, a common sandwich available from street vendors throughout Toulon.
Sport
The most successful of the city's clubs are the
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...
team
RC Toulon
R&C, RC, R/C, Rc, or rc may refer to:
Science and technology Computing
* rc, the default Command line interface in Version 10 Unix and Plan 9 from Bell Labs
* .rc (for "run commands"), a filename extension for configuration files in UNIX-like ...
and the women's handball team
Toulon St-Cyr Var Handball, both playing in the top division of their respective sports. The basketball team
Hyères-Toulon Var Basket play in the second division of the
French championship.
The city hosts the final four of the annual
Toulon Tournament, an international under-21
football tournament.
Toulon's main football team is
Sporting Club Toulon
Sporting Club Toulon is a association football, football club from Toulon, France, that plays in the Championnat National 2, the fourth tier of the French football league system. The club was founded in 1944 and played under that name until th ...
, which plays in
Championnat National
The Championnat de France National ( en, French National Championship), commonly referred to as simply National or Division 3, serves as the third division of the French football league system behind Ligue 1 and Ligue 2. Contested by 18 clubs, ...
, the third level of French football. Famous players such as
Delio Onnis
Delio Onnis (born 24 March 1948) is a former professional football player who played as striker. Born in Italy, his family emigrated to Argentina in his youth and he was nicknamed ''"El Tano"'' (the Italian) in Argentina.
With 299 goals, he is ...
,
Jean Tigana,
Christian Dalger,
David Ginola and
Sébastien Squillaci have all played for Sporting.
The city has been chosen by
Groupama
Groupama an abbreviation for Groupe des Assurances Mutuelles Agricoles ( en , Group of Mutual Agricultural Insurances) is a French insurance group headquartered in Paris with operations in 10 countries.
It is listed in the 2007 ICA Global 300 ...
br>
Team Franceas the venue for the fifth event in the Americas Cup World Series 2016, alongside international cities such as Portsmouth & New York.
Notable residents
Toulon is the birthplace of:
*
Jean Joseph Marie Amiot (1718–1793),
Jesuit
*
Gilbert Bécaud (1927–2001), singer
*
Boris Bede
Boris Bede (born November 20, 1989) is a French-born Canadian football placekicker and punter for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He first enrolled at Tiffin University before transferring to Université Laval. Bed ...
(born 1989), gridiron football player
*
Jean Blondel
Jean Blondel (26 October 1929 – 25 December 2022) was a French political scientist specialising in comparative politics. He was Emeritus Professor at the European University Institute in Florence, and visiting professor at the University of Sie ...
(born 1929), political scientist
*
Jacques Borsarello (born 1951), violist
*
Robert Busnel (1914–1991), basketball player
*
Capucine
Capucine (, born Germaine Hélène Irène Lefebvre , 6 January 1928 – 17 March 1990) was a French fashion model and actress known for her comedic roles in ''The Pink Panther'' (1963) and ''What's New Pussycat?'' (1965). She appeared in 36 film ...
, actress
*
François Étienne Victor de Clinchamp (1787–1880), painter and author
*
Émile Colonne (1885–1990), operatic baritone
*
Lúcio Costa
Lúcio Marçal Ferreira Ribeiro Lima Costa (27 February 1902 – 13 June 1998) was a Brazilian architect and urban planner, best known for his plan for Brasília.
Career
Costa was born in Toulon, France, the son of Brazilian parents. His fat ...
(1902–1998), architect and urban planner
*
Mireille Darc (1938–2017), actress
*
Kaba Diawara
Kaba Diawara (born 16 December 1975) is a football manager and former player who played as a striker. He has been head coach of the Guinea national football team since October 2021.
Diawara played for French teams Sporting Toulon, Bordeaux, Ren ...
(born 1975), footballer
*
Laurent Emmanuelli (born 1976), rugby union prop, returning to play for RC Toulon in 2009–10
*
Matar Fall (born 1982), footballer
*
Henri Ghys
Esprit Charles Henri Ghys (17 March 1839 – 24 April 1908) was a French pianist, organist, composer and arranger of Belgian parentage, who is primarily known today as the first piano teacher of Maurice Ravel.
Life and music
Henri (sometimes: Hen ...
(1839–1908), composer and pianist
*
Anne Golon
Anne Golon (17 December 1921 – 14 July 2017) was a French author, better known to English-speaking readers as Sergeanne Golon. Her ''Angélique'' novels have reportedly sold 150 million copies worldwide and have inspired multiple adaptations. ...
(1921–2017), author, wrote a series of novels about a heroine ''
Angélique''
*
Josuha Guilavogui, footballer
*
Guy du Merle (1908–1993),
aeronautical engineer,
test pilot and writer
*
Loïc Jean-Albert (born 1978), expert parachuter
*
Maryse Joissains-Masini
Maryse Joissains-Masini (born 15 August 1942), also known as Maryse Charton, was the mayor of Aix-en-Provence from 2001 to 2021. She was also a member of the National Assembly of France. in which she represented the Bouches-du-Rhône department, a ...
(born 1942), Mayor of
Aix-en-Provence
*
Jacques Le Goff
Jacques Le Goff (1 January 1924 – 1 April 2014) was a French historian and prolific author specializing in the Middle Ages, particularly the 12th and 13th centuries.
Le Goff championed the Annales School movement, which emphasizes long-term ...
(1924–2014), historian
*
Ève Lavallière (1866–1929), stage actress
*
Félix Mayol
Félix Mayol (18 November 1872 – 26 October 1941) was a French singer and entertainer.
Career
Mayol was born in Toulon, France. His parents, amateur singers and actors, arranged for Felix to make his debut stage at six years of age. In 1895, ...
(1972–1941), singer and entertainer, and namesake of
RC Toulon's stadium
*
Alain Mucchielli (born 1947), physician
*
Sabine Paturel
Sabine Paturel (born 19 September 1965) is a French singer and actress.
Biography
Paturel was born in Toulon, and has three sisters.
In 1986, her first single " Les Bêtises" (French, "stupid things") stayed for 30 weeks in the French singles ...
(born 1965), singer and actress
*
Gabriel Péri (1902–1941), journalist and politician
*
LiLi Roquelin
LiLi Roquelin is a French-American singer, songwriter, composer, record producer from Astoria, Queens, New York City. Roquelin is most notable for her songs which won Best Music Video at several film festivals and received TV and Film placement ...
, singer-songwriter
*
Raimu (1883–1946), actor
*
Brigitte Roüan
Brigitte Roüan (born 28 September 1946) is a French director, screenwriter and actress.This article borrows largely from a profile of the artist in ''The New York Times''. Riding, Alan. "When the Tables Are Turned in Adultery's Secret Rooms", ' ...
(born 1946), film director and actress
*
Bastien Salabanzi (born 1985), professional
skateboarder
*
Cyril Saulnier
Cyril Saulnier (, born 16 August 1975) is a retired French tennis player. In 2005, he started giving tennis lessons in places such as Heliopolis Sporting Club (Egypt). He is now director of the ''Proworld Tennis Academy'' in Delray Beach, Flor ...
(born 1975), tennis player
*
Sébastien Squillaci (born 1980), French International footballer
*
Didier Tarquin (born 1967), cartoonist and scenarist
*
Charles Thanaron (1809–1886), ''capitaine de frégate'' in the French Navy, member of the Dumont d'Urville second expedition
*
Jean Tournier
Jean Tournier (3 April 1926 – 9 December 2004) was a French cinematographer.
He was born in Toulon, France. He is known for ''The Day of the Jackal'' and '' Moonraker''.
Filmography
*'' Quai du Point-du-Jour'' (1960)
*'' On n'enterre pas l ...
(1926–2004), cinematographer
*
Joëlle Wintrebert (born 1949), writer
International relations
Toulon is
twinned with:
*
La Spezia, Italy, since 1958
*
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (german: Universitätsstadt Mannheim), is the second-largest city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg after the state capital of Stuttgart, and Germany's ...
, Germany, since 1958
*
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...
, United States, since 1988
*
Kronstadt, Russia, since 1996
See also
*
Communes of the Var department
*
Rafiot - a type of fishing vessel from Toulon
References
Bibliography
* Michel Vergé-Franceschi, Toulon – Port Royal (1481–1789). Tallandier: Paris, 2002.
*Aldo Bastié, ''Histoire de la Provence'', Editions Ouest-France, 2001.
*Cyrille Roumagnac, ''L'Arsenal de Toulon et la Royale'', Editions Alan Sutton, 2001
*
Jean-Pierre Thiollet
Jean-Pierre Thiollet (; born 9 December 1956) is a French writer and journalist.
Primarily living in Paris, he is the author of numerous books and one of the national leaders of the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CEDI), a ...
, ''Le Chevallier à découvert'', Paris, Laurens, 1998
*
Maurice Arreckx, ''Vivre sa ville'', Paris, La Table ronde, 1982; ''Toulon, ma passion'', 1985
Notes
External links
*
Toulon : between military tradition and touristic modernity– Official French website (in English)
Official websiteThe Tourism Office of Toulon web site
{{Authority control
Communes of Var (department)
Prefectures in France
Vauban fortifications in France
Cities in France