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

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 ...

. 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 subprefectures. ...

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 left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it joins at Koblenz. A ...

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 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 ...

''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 Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...

tribe of the Leuci. In 550, King Theudebald convoked a synod at Toul. In 612, King

Theudebert II Theudebert II () (c.585-612), King of Austrasia (595–612 AD), was the son and heir of Childebert II. He received the kingdom of Austrasia plus the cities (''civitates'') of Poitiers, Tours, Le Puy-en-Velay, Bordeaux, and Châteaudun, as w ...

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 ...

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 empire ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was created through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the former empire int ...

, the later Holy Roman Empire. During the High Middle Ages, it became a

Free Imperial City In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

. 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 pe ...

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 ...

; the diocese was founded around 365 and existed until 1807. During the

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

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 The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. 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 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, the American 358th Fighter Group 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 The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

air base during the 1950s and 1960s.

Population

Sights

The most striking features are the impressive stone

rampart Rampart may refer to: * Rampart (fortification), a defensive wall or bank around a castle, fort or settlement Rampart may also refer to: * "O'er the Ramparts We Watched" is a key line from " The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the ...

s. 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 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 ...

'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 A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. 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 Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

archæology in the area and allegedly some in the town. The Roman fortified town of

Grand Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and comm ...

is some 30 km away, with its great

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

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 A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

, 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 The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Europe, the Ren ...

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 Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

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 cit ...

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

Administration

Toul is the seat and part of the canton of Toul, 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 Tou ...

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 ...

, Czech republic, since 2017

Notable people

* Saint Gerard of Toul, bishop * Antoine Augustin Calmet, monk * Marcel Bigeard, French Army General * Anne-Laure Blin, 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 ...

, footballer * Louis Majorelle, furniture designer and manufacturer *

Pascal Vigneron Pascal Vigneron (born 23 June 1963) is a French classical musician, both trumpeter, organist, and conductor. Life Born in Commercy (Lorraine), Vigneron's genealogy goes back to 1841, when his ancestors lived in the town of Bruley. He has bee ...

, 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