Toulon

Toulon, city in south-east France, capital of the Var Department, on the Mediterranean Sea, in Provence. The site of an important French naval station, the city also is a manufacturing and commercial centre and has a sizeable fishing fleet. Large shipbuilding and repair yards are here, as well as industries producing chemicals, clothing, machinery, processed food, and armaments. The harbour has five principal basins; the eastern portion of the port is used by merchant shipping and the western part by the French navy. Toulon consists of an old district, with narrow crooked streets, and a new quarter with handsome avenues and large public buildings. Important buildings include the Romanesque church of St Marie Majeure (begun 11th century), the church of St Louis, and a vast military hospital. In the hills surrounding Toulon are forts dating from the 17th century. The University of Toulon and the Var (1970) is in nearby La Garde.

Built on the site of the Roman community of Telo Martius, Toulon has been the scene of several important battles. It was strongly fortified by kings Henri IV and Louis XIV. In 1707, during the War of the Spanish Succession, Toulon withstood the allied fleets of England and the Netherlands. In 1793, during the French Revolution, Royalists within the city handed over control of Toulon to an Anglo-Spanish naval force. Late in the year the French Republican army besieged and captured the city; this battle won Napoleon military distinction as a young artillery officer. During World War II, when German troops were ordered into unoccupied France, the bulk of the French fleet, which was anchored at Toulon, was scuttled (1942) by French crews to prevent its acquisition by Germany. The city was badly damaged before being liberated by the Allies in 1944. Population 166,800 (2005 estimate).