MAP. Heritage Days 2024: our 5 ideas for visits to Toulouse

If you don’t know what to do this weekend, there will be no shortage of ideas for going out. As every year, cultural and heritage sites open their doors for the European Heritage Days.

The opportunity to discover gems, sometimes closed to the general public the rest of the year. It is also an opportunity to share with those who maintain and bring these places to life their passion for monuments that we pass by every day without looking at them.

There are the visits that we find every year, the prefecture, the mayor’s office or even the Palais Niel whose doors are usually closed. To help you wander among these treasures or unusual events, the editorial team has made a (very) small selection. For those who want to go further, the map below will help them find their way around and the full program can be found on Journéesdupatrimoine.culture.gouv.fr.

Excavations, tunnel boring machines… In the bowels of the future metro line C

We pass by the hoardings of the construction site of line C near the François-Verdier station, without knowing that behind them a whole world is teeming. This year, Tisséo has decided to immerse the people of Toulouse in the fascinating world of archaeological excavations. Necropolis or even Roman roads, Inrap specialists and teams from the urban transport network will open the doors of the site and reveal its buried secrets to visitors and its future to visitors.

Those who want to learn more about how a metro is created, how the tunnel boring machine works, will be able to discover at Bonnefoy station, the technical explanations on the work of creating a “mole” station. Saturday, at Ramonville station, you will be able to explore the tunnel of the extension of line B and discover the behind the scenes of its digging by the tunnel boring machine Clémence Isaure. And Sunday at Colomiers-Gare station, meet the companions engaged for the start-up of the tunnel boring machine Jeanne Marvig and the construction of the future station.

Discover Ukrainian Toulouse

Even before the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Toulouse was attached to Ukraine, twinned with its capital kyiv. And the Pink City shares a common history with the country of Volodymyr Zelensky and characters that one meets at the turn of the streets: whether it is Anne of kyiv, Queen of France, whose sculpture is on the forecourt of Saint-Pierre-des-Cuisines or the monument to the glory of the famous Ukrainian national poet Taras Chevtchenko in Compans.

This year, two guided tours by reservation (2 euros) are organized on Sunday to support the charitable action of the Association “Free Ukraine” in favor of the victims of the war: at 10:30 a.m., meet in front of the Alban-Minville cultural center or at 2:30 p.m. on Place Saint-Pierre, left side.

A stroll through the streets with graffiti artist Azek

Look up, observe, discover. The street is an open-air art gallery, especially in Toulouse where graffiti has long since taken up residence. The 3.1 gallery of the departmental council offers an unusual walk alongside Azek, a graffiti artist from Toulouse. Since 1995, he has been putting his colors on the walls of the Pink City, in a style influenced by the historic New York movement.

These walks take place on Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. As the capacity is 20 people, you must register for free at [email protected] or on 05 34 45 58 30.

A journey through time and the archives of the Canal du Midi

It was created in the 17th century and today it is an integral part of the life of the city but also of the Occitanie region. The Canal du Midi still contains treasures that are little known to the general public: its archives. The Voies navigables de France, its manager, is offering a journey through time this year by opening the canal archives. Guided tours will allow the curious to discover exceptional documents, “rarely revealed to the public, and presented by Samuel Vannier, the canal’s archivist”, indicates VNF.

Two conferences will be offered in the afternoon, by two experts of the Canal du Midi: 2:30 p.m.: on “The Seigneurie du canal and its justice” and at 4 p.m. on “the construction of the canal and its first commissioning in 1674”. Meeting point is given to enthusiasts at number 20 of the port Saint-Étienne from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Push open the doors of a luxury hotel

A former private mansion, completely renovated and enhanced, La Cour des Consuls, a luxury hotel in the heart of Toulouse, is playing the heritage card. Its owner has decided to open its doors to the general public this weekend and to show them its treasures, such as the 1536 Renaissance fireplace in its restaurant or its monumental staircase.

“The hotel teams will reveal the history of the place through the centuries during 2 visits per day, followed by a Renaissance-themed aperitif to discover all the know-how of their mixologists. A Do It Yourself wooden workshop will also be offered to children to take them on a journey through time,” says the MGallery group, owner of the establishment.