Montauban, Administrative center in Tarn-et-Garonne, France
Montauban is a prefecture town in the Tarn-et-Garonne department of southwestern France, positioned on the right bank of the Tarn River. The old town centers around the rectangular Place Nationale, whose 17th-century brick facades and arcaded walkways form the historic core.
Count Alphonse Jourdain of Toulouse founded the town in 1144 as a fortified bastion, which rapidly grew into an important Protestant stronghold during the Wars of Religion. Royal forces unsuccessfully besieged it in 1621, but after further conflict the town was definitively integrated into the Catholic kingdom in 1629.
The cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption, completed in 1629, reflects how the town shifted between Catholic and Protestant identities during the religious wars. Locals gather at the Saturday morning market on Place Nationale, where regional produce from Quercy and the surrounding southwestern countryside fills the stalls.
Travelers reach the town easily via motorway A20 or the train station, which offers regular connections to Toulouse and Bordeaux. The historic center is walkable, while the riverside promenade along the Tarn provides a relaxed path outside the old walls.
The Pont Vieux was built between 1303 and 1335 and spans the river with seven brick arches, which secured trade and defense for the town for centuries. The bridge still bears visible bullet holes from 17th-century sieges, reminders of its turbulent past.
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