all the visits not to be missed around Toulouse
Several hundred visits await you around Toulouse on the occasion of these 39th European Heritage Days. What to do ? How to choose ? Here is our guide to not miss anything from the program this Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 September in Haute-Garonne.
The Interceltic Festival of Lorient 2022
For this 39th edition of European Heritage Days, this Saturday September 17 and Sunday September 18, 2022, nearly 1,800 places and monuments open their doors to you in the Occitanie region. Some for the first time. In Haute-Garonne and in particular in Toulouse, dozens of visits await you. From the most classic to the most unusual, ask for the program!
Visit of the dome of La Grave after its restoration
It got a makeover during a major restoration operation that lasted several months. One of Toulouse’s most emblematic monuments, the dome of La Grave can once again welcome the public, starting this Saturday, September 17, 2022. This is an opportunity for a historical reminder, and to discover some secrets of the Saint-Joseph chapel.
Landmark of the Saint-Cyprien district of Toulouse, the chapel of La Grave was built on a gravel bank left by the Garonne. Its first stone was laid in 1758 by Gaspard de Maniban, first president of the Parliament of Toulouse. The monumental building with a centered plan will only be completed in the middle of the following century. Its consecration to Saint Joseph, patron saint of carpenters, emphasizes the role he cut in the 17th century during the period of the Great Retention of the Poor. He then asked for many workshops intended for the former the needy in trades to place them with craftsmen.
Note that the Hotel Dieu, which houses the La Grave hospital, is doubly classified: as a historical monument and on the UNESCO World Heritage List as ” serial cultural property of the routes to Santiago de Compostela in France“. It is the only hospital establishment in France distinguished by this recognition and this heritage responsibility on an international scale. Its dome culminates at 56 meters in height and covers 1,000 m2 of floor space. It houses 3,000 m 2 decorations painted or sculpted on the brick.
The fish-shaped monoliths
In 2021 and 2022, “Pisciform” granite monoliths dating from the Neolithic era were discovered in the village of Arlos and on the pastoral path that leads to the Lot stream waterfall. During these heritage days, “narrative walks” are offered by the Arlos Culture and Heritage Association to learn all about these discoveries.
Indeed, among these granite monoliths, are ” several remarkable blocks, in the shape of fish: whale, sperm whale, carp or salmon…“, on a natural site qualified as exceptional, on the edge of the Lot stream, near the Arlos waterfall.
Appointment is given, at 10:00 am at the level of the parking lot of the canyon of Arlos, Saturday and Sunday, September 18 to find out more about this Pyrenean Neolithic rock artin the high valleys of the Garonne and the Val d’Aran.
A museum bus ride
It’s a little journey in time that you propose the Association for the preservation of the heritage of urban and interurban transport in Toulouse. On the occasion of these Heritage Days, here is an opportunity to pParticipate in the return to service of two famous buses on the former Circular Boulevards in Toulouse.
Two versions of the mythical SC10 will ensure 7 rotations around the Toulouse hyper center, in the outward direction, from the Grand Rond. You can take a ride around town in a 1989 Renault SC10 and the 1979 SC10 Saviem with a rear platform.
Departure every hour between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Access to the buses remains subject to the tariff conditions in force on the Tisséo network. The welcome and the exhibition on the Paul Sabatier alleys are free.
Be aware that due to the demonstrations on Saturday afternoon, the route is likely to be diverted via Port Saint Sauveur, the banks of the Canal and Rue de Sébastopol.
The epic of the Aéropostale
Impossible to experience heritage days in Toulouse, without mentioning its aviation history. For the 4th consecutive year, Envol des Pionniers is participating in the event by offering you the opportunity to relive the epic of Aéropostale. On the program: the exhibition “Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a Little Prince among Men”, and the story of legendary pilots such as Jean Mermoz, or Henri Guillaumet.
Take part in an immersive visit to discover the emblematic places of Aéropostale (general stores, workshops, the airfield or even the radio station), and for the first time the reconstructed office of the legendary chef Operation Didier Daurat.
Several highlights are offered to you free of charge throughout the weekend with a multisensory course and encounters. Arnaud Nazare-Aga, the artist who designed the sculptures of the Little Prince in the temporary exhibition “Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a Little Prince among Men” will notably be present. You will also be able to follow where the airmail pioneers will have a stopover.