Why go
The harbor explains why French rulers fortified and expanded Toulon for centuries. Its old center and 19th-century boulevards also show how the city changed after the medieval walls came down, giving a walk two distinct urban eras. The opera house marks that later phase in the center.
What to look for
- The harbor’s scale reveals its naval importance.
- The center mixes older streets with later boulevards and squares.
- The opera house belongs to Toulon’s 19th-century rebuilding.
The full story
Toulon began as a Roman settlement called Telo Martius, linked to trade and the production of purple dye. The settlement’s name gradually changed from Telo to Toulon. Its sheltered harbor later became central to France’s Mediterranean ambitions. Charles VIII began work on a military port in the late 15th century; Louis XIV’s minister Colbert ordered a new arsenal and fortifications in the 17th. The city resisted a siege in 1707, then suffered a plague in 1720 that killed many residents. In the 19th century, Baron Haussmann, before his Paris works, began removing fortifications and laying out new streets and squares in Toulon. The opera house opened in 1862. This sequence helps distinguish the old port and its defensive works from the broader streets of the rebuilt center.
Useful to know
- Use the harbor as the starting point for understanding the city’s naval layout.
- Continue into the center to compare the older street pattern with the later boulevards.