Lauragais Blog

Why is Toulouse the centre of the French space industry?

7/9/2018

It was a natural question to ask during a rainy day visit to the busiest tourist attraction in Toulouse: la Cité d’Espace, Space City.

After much thought and a few silly photos, I remembered other pictures I had taken a year or so ago while I was researching ‘Lauragais’.

Villenouvelle lies on the old Roman road between Carcassonne and Toulouse. The Black Prince destroyed the town during his Great Raid of 1355, and the church one sees today was built sometime around 1509, almost certainly financed with the profits of pastel, or woad. Its most striking feature is its bell gable, or mur clocher. Cheaper to build than a tower, this is a single wall pierced by niches where the bells hang and occasionally clang in the vent d’autan.

They are a typical feature of churches in the Lauragais, but what is unusual about the mur clocher of Villenouvelle is its uncanny resemblance to a spacecraft ready for launch. Was this what inspired the aerospace engineers of Toulouse to design the Ariane 5 rocket that I admired during my visit to la Cité d’Espace?

Unfortunately, the effect is less impressive from the main street. Driving past one could be forgiven for thinking it was the fake façade of a Hollywood film set.

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'Lauragais' book launch

29/8/2018

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There will be a book launch for 'Lauragais' on Sunday 21 October 2018, from 14h00 to 18h00, at the Château de Garrevaques, 4 allée du moulin, 81700 Garrevaques.

Click the button below for more details!

Book launch

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Revised publication date for 'Lauragais'

17/8/2018

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The publication date for 'Lauragais' has been brought forward by three months from 28 January 2019 to 28 October 2018.

Watch this space for news of the book launch taking place in the Lauragais towards the end of October.

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Lauragais Blog

Why is Toulouse the centre of the French space industry?

'Lauragais' book launch

Revised publication date for 'Lauragais'

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