The city hall is a neoclassical masterpiece built from the 1750s onwards, though earlier versions had hosted Toulouse's "Capitouls" (governing magistrates) since 1190. The building's main (eastern) façade combines pink brick with gleaming white columns. The interior is a veritable gallery of fine art by excellent local artists: pre-Raphaelite-style medieval scenes on the grand stairway; a big hall by pointillist Henri Martin; and key moments of city history depicted in the spectacular late-19th-century Salle des Illustres (Hall of the Illustrious).
The Capitole faces Toulouse's main square, an architecturally cohesive festival of red brick with cafe tables spilling forth from distinctive arcades.
