Discover the haute-garonne department

Soft valleys and abrupt, quiet mountains and deep forests, medieval country houses and Romanesque architecture, Martens-Tolosane is a mosaic of sites and landscapes to be discovered, between the Garonne and the Pyrenees. Angling at the edge of the lake and freshness of the banks of the Garonne, you will not be surprised that Martens-Tolosane is classified green station of holidays. Here the occasion of a return to the sources and to discover the pleasure of living with the naturalness.

It would be extremely difficult to indicate exactly as from which time the pre Christian valley of Girou was inhabited and marked out primitive villages. We know only that, five centuries before our era, our area was populated by Celts come from North. One found, in a headland finished by a small hillock with the escarpés sides, the east of Verfeil, the Baptized Fountain and the base of the slope of in-Trumade, remains of potteries and bones which testify to the existence of a Celtic population in this place. That also informs us on the origin of the name of: fount batisado or batejado, quite former to all the legendary events which claim to explain it. Isn't the baptized fountain, quite simply, the crowned source where the Gallic ones sacrificed poetically to the gracious worship of waters running?

In fact the thermal springs returned celebrates Encausse. Their virtues were already known Romans. Thanks to hydrotherapy, Encausse marks its place in the history! Marguerite de Valois, marries of Henri IV, made there a stay in 1584, of Wednesday September 20 to Saturday October 10.

Always in 1584, Montaigne, mayor of Bordeaux, wrote to the Marshal of Matignon, to lieutenant general of king de Guyenne: "you avès sceu quà their interview, of the goods of Encausse, Mr Espernon was solved of going in Basnière and seeing its Majesty in Pau".

In 1558, Guillaume de Salustre, Lord of Bartas, friend of Ronsard, write a poem on Encausse and pay homages to our village twice.

In 1656, Chapelie and Bachaumont, two chroniclers "came there to restore their stomach". They sang Encausse and its modest brook in the ode with the Job. Mazarin, Prime Minister of Louis XIV, had recourse to water of Encausse at the end of its life whereas it suffered from the drop. Water of Encausse was among the first in France to be profited from scientific studies.

During the colonial period of France, Encausse received many curists coming from North Africa to treat their liver or their paludism. Water of Encausse enters the group of sulphated calcic and magnesian.

Before the end of the exploitation of the thermal baths, water spouted out with 30°. This type of source most frequently emerges in the valley of the Garonne, the lowone and Bagnères de Bigorre. Elsewhere, they are almost non-existent.

The castle of Plech is mentioned in 1080 about the war between the count de Bigorre Centule Ier and his vassal, Sance, the Viscount of Labarthe de Rivière.

In 1360, during the One hundred Year old War, this castle contained a garrison ordered by the Viscount Pierre Arnaud, who pushed out of grounds commingeoises his forwardings against the troops of king de France.

During the Wars of religion, in 1567, the castle, after having supported a six week old seat against a protesting party ordered by Jean Guilhem of the valley of Aure, was demolished basic in roof.

Intended up to date a military role, the castle of Plech with dominated Encausse during six centuries. You can today visit its ruins which dominate Encausse.

In a few years, Toulouse forged a dynamic image of city. Aeronautics, the space one, electronics, data processing, biotechnologies are the key words of this strong Ville label which makes it possible our city to be recognized in the economic plan. The visitor discovering Toulouse for the first time is struck by the three emblematic colors of the city:

• It pink of the tiles and the bricks of construction which are worth the name of "Rose City to him"
• The purple one recalling that Toulouse is also the "City of the Violets"
• Blue pastel

The pink city: Toulouse owes its light with the choice of building materials, in particular celebrates it brick, privileged by the proximity of argillaceous plains against the prohibitory cost of the transport of too remote limestones. The brick of Toulouse generated a single town planning. The frontages of the low maisonnettes, or on a floor, built between the end of XIXe and years 1940 are installed rollers of the Garonne intercalated between lines of bricks and inclined out of ear. Blue like pastel: At the time of the Rebirth, the Masters of the pastel in theToulouse one competed in daring projects and constructions magnificentes. Castles, country residences and private mansions strew this historical road in testimony with this century of gold. In Toulouse, example unique in France, a score of superb hotels pasteliers, their pink brick turns, their white stone sculptures, always contribute to the charm of the old streets. Not to miss the hotel of Bernuy (1 street Gambetta) sheltering today the college Pierre-of-Fermat, the hotel of Assézat (place of Assézat) which accomodates the collection of art of the Argentinian billionaire George Bemberg. Toulouse, city of the violets! : The passion for the violets involved the creation of many industries:

• Violets crystallized in sugar
• The perfume "Violets of Toulouse"
• The liquor of Violets.

The Toulouse companies dispatch their products throughout the world. The violet also interests of the sectors like the restoration and the pastry making whose chiefs compete of originality to create delicious dishes, cakes and cocktails. Name "Violet of Toulouse" is a trade mark under which the flowered potfuls and the bouquets are marketed. In February 1999, Toulouse is the town of reception of the 5th International Congress of the Violet... and the violet makes speak about it in the whole world. Since, each year, at that time, is held the festival of the violet.

At the Average Age, Cadours belongs to the province of Gascogne. Only some vestiges of an old feudal castle testify to this period. The District of the Fort with its habitat characteristic of the Middle Ages, the core oldest of the village, is established on a platform, an artificial, rectangular mound, framed by three streets and a public place which obviously seem filled ditches. From the advent of the King Henri IV, in 1589, Cadours as well as the old county of Isle the Jordan confiscated with the count d' Armagnac become a royal field. The financial administration is then entrusted to royal farmers. Like the other communes of the canton, of which it constitutes the chief town, the principal resource of Cadours is agriculture. The local speciality is the production of the garlic of color violet, which is worth in Cadours the nickname of "Country of purple Garlic". A festival of Garlic proceeds each year at the end of August. The city constitutes the gravitational pole of all the area and owes its popularity with creation, the XIXème century, of a weekly market, Wednesday. In addition to purple garlic, some other known resources: pastures, cereals, mixed-farming, fodder, breedings of bovines and geese.

Villemur, old city strengthened of XVIIe between slope and plain at the edge of the river of the Tarn. Industrial calling of the canton since 1872. Structure and rich historical inheritance to discover. Between fertile terraces of Frontonnais and green slopes of the valley of the Tarn, the Back Toulouse Country accomodates you...

Take time to discover our area, You impregnate richness of his past, the diversity of its landscapes. Appreciate greedy savours of the soil

Located at the step of the Black Mountain, the Country house of Revel was born in 1342, thanks to Ohilippe VI of Valois. With two steps of Revel, in a bosky bower, you will discover Saint-Ironwood. Its lake constitutes the principal tank of the Channel of the South.