The town of Montauban stands on the spot where Tarn merges with Trescu . The main city of the department of Montauban is not that small - almost 60 thousand . inhabitants . Nevertheless it remains calm, quiet, provincial and pleasant, and in a straight line the city can be traversed in 10-15 minutes . In the Middle Ages, during religious wars, the city deserved rebellious glory: it was one of the main southern strongholds of the Huguenots . Now Montauban is considered the second oldest fortress city in the south of France ( the oldest - Mont-de-Marsan) . And the main pride of Montauban is here famous artist, impressionist Dominic Ingres . His museum opened in the city .
How to get to Montauban
Trains arrive at the Montauban-Ville-Bourbon city train station from Toulouse, Bordeaux, Paris and Marseilles . And on the Montes channel you can get to the city from Garonne
Search for tickets to the city of Paris (the nearest airport to Montauban)
A bit of history
Montauban was founded in the 12th century and its name meant "white mountain" . A century later the young city already suffered from wars, and even a century later was under British rule .In the 16th century, during the religious strife, the cathedral was destroyed, and in 1570 .the city became a kind of Huguenot headquarters, which remained the next hundred years . The city sustained the 86-day siege of the royal troops and recognized the king's power only after the fall of La Rochelle in 1629 . (after that Cardinal Richelieu plundered the city strengthening) . In the further down to the beginning of the 19th century, life in the city died down . But in 1808 ., becoming the center of the Tann-i-Garonne department, formed by Napoleon, Montauban slowly began to gain economic power - already without the previous shakes, except for the floods .
Best hotels 5 *. Paris. Disneyland. Vacation with children.
Cote d'Azur: Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo, Saint-Tropez.
Rent of aircraft. Transfers by helicopter. VIP service
СОДИС - 25 years of impeccable work.
Residence Tourotel 3 * from 21.03. for 7 nights from 50,717 rubles.
Altis Val Vert 3 * from 07.03. for 7 nights from 51,503 rubles
Residence Le Cheval Blanc 3 * from 07.03. for 7 nights from 55 574 rubles
We have been working for you since 1929! Book a tour online!
Chamonix from 35 285 rubles. for 8 days
Bride-les-Bains from 37,760 rubles. for 8 days
Tinh from 47 510 rubles. for 8 days
Entertainment, excursions and attractions Montauban
Perhaps the first , what is worth paying attention to a tourist in Montauban is the cathedral of the Ascension of Our Lady . Originally it was built in the beginning of the 14th century and for a long time remained Protestant . After the destruction and signing of the Nantes edict the cathedral was restored in the late 17th century and finished to 1739 g . Today's view of the cathedral is purely classical: the Ionian façade is decorated with statues of the four Evangelists ( Opium), and on the sides there are two symmetrical low towers . The special value of the cathedral is the brush of Engra, which is stored here .
Another important religious center of the city is the fortified church of St. James (14-15 centuries of construction), which After the siege of the city in 1632 received the status of a cathedral, which remained until 1739. On the walls of the church, one can still see traces of cannon cores received during the siege. The church is distinguished by a beautiful octagonal bell tower of the 13th century, whose foundation can be attributed to the Romanesque style, and the top to the Gothic.
One of the most recognizable buildings of Montauban is a medieval arch bridge built in the 14th century . It is simply called the "Old Bridge", and its construction started in 1303 g ., lasted more than 30 years . This building of pink stone has more than 200 m in length, and although the bridge lost the fortified towers in the course of time, on the whole it was well preserved, having sustained including two monstrous floods 1441 and 1930 years . Kon the structure of the straight horizontal Old Bridge is quite unusual for medieval Europe, where in those days, due to a lack of engineering knowledge, the bridges were mostly made "hunchbacks" .
The Engra Museum occupies a remarkable building of the former episcopal palace of the 17th century, the mayor's office was located . Although the most important canvases of Engra are stored in Paris, in the Louvre, here you can see a fairly large collection of the artist's works, including thousands of drawings . After leaving his native city in youth, Engr returned in Montauban only once, when his canvas "The Vow of Louis XIII" was solemnly placed in the cathedral .Nevertheless, the artist had warm feelings for Montauban, and in 1851 . transferred from fifty of his works to the city authorities . They formed the basis for the collection of the museum, which was replenished even after the author's death, according to the will of the latter . In addition , there are expositions devoted to the life of Engr in different periods, including documents and personal items, things that the artist drew from nature, musical notes and violin . And still - a good collection of antique ceramics .
- Sit at the cafe table under the arrow bubbled vaulted arches on the Place National Congress in Moissac
In the courtyard of a building, a sculpture by the artist's father -.. also an artist, Jean Ingres. To the interior of the episcopal palace Ingres Sr. also put his hand. Including and as the son of his father Dominique Ingres in Montauban was honored during his lifetime. Not the least role in this played an excellent relationship with the then mayor, a portrait of which young Ingres wrote at the age of 25, and who later provided him with an order for the painting of the altar in the city cathedral. In 1844, Engra Street appeared in the city, and in 1863 the artist received a medal from the authorities of the city.
Another famous native of Montauban was the sculptor Antoine Bourdelle, and in the Engra museum one can see his works as well. In particular - the 'Great Champion Montauban "in the courtyard, expressive bronze statue, created in memory of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 Billets casting was made by Bourdelle in 1900, but only the sculpture was cast in 1956 in several copies , which then traveled all over the world (including the US).
The most remarkable city square is the 17th-century National Place, where you can get to the gates at every corner of it. On the perimeter of the square are buildings made of pink stone, supported by double-rowed arches. At first the arcades were wooden, but after the fire they were restored in stone. On the square stands a beautiful prefectural building in an elegant 18th-century mansion with a gray-blue tiled roof. And on Saturdays there is a traditional market of handicraft goods and farm products.
Landmarks Montauban 30 km west of Montauban is the town of Moissac . The flood 1930 . Moissac was almost washed away, but still here you can admire one of the largest historical and architectural monuments of the region - the Benedictine abbey of St. Peter's 7th century Abbey . repeatedly destroyed, looted, restored and rebuilt, so the Romanesque and Gothic styles are mixed here, and some buildings still remain dilapidated . At the monastery are opened two museums: church art and folklore . Nevertheless, the Abbey in Muassac attracts many tourists and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the pilgrimage path of St. James . Especially noteworthy are the columns of the Cloathra from several types of marble and richly decorated with ornaments tympanum in the courtyard .
Events
Annually two important musical events take place in Montauban: this is a national level festival of French songs in late May - early June and July Jazz festival in Montauban
Book popular hotels in Montauban at the best prices
| Abbaye des Capucins Spa & Resort from 7,505 rubles Montauban 6-8 Quai De Verdun | Hotel Mercure Montauban from 6 266 rubles Montauban 12, Rue Notre Dame | |
| Hôtel du Commerce from 3 443 rubles Montauban 9 Place Franklin Roosevelt | Hotel Kyriad Montauban from 3 374 rubles Montauban Zi Nord Aussonne - 1 Impasse Les Tamaris | Campanile Hotel Montauban from 2 686 rubles Montauban Zone Albasud Secteur 3 Impasse Louis Lepine |
| ibis budget Montauban Center @ from 2 686 rubles Montauban 30 rue Léon Cladel | ibis budget Montauban Les Chaumes from 2 686 rubles Montauban 50 route de Saint Martial |