Palais Niel, Military palace in Toulouse, France

Palais Niel is a military palace in Toulouse featuring neoclassical architecture with a north facade showcasing martial elements framed by two wings and an honor courtyard. The building contains multiple reception rooms for formal gatherings along with auxiliary structures such as former stables on the grounds.

Toulouse was chosen in 1859 to host the commander of the Sixth Military Region, and Marshal Adolphe Niel set up his headquarters in the Hôtel Duranti. The city ceded two-thirds of the Foirail, 10,000 m², to the State on 13 March 1860, and the palace was built on the old Roman ramparts between 1863 and 1868 to plans by Captain Bonnal. Niel, made Minister of War in 1867, never lived there; General de Goyon took possession on 1 January 1868, and the building has housed a high military command ever since, since 1999 that of the 11th Parachute Brigade.

The entrance hall holds a monumental staircase whose cast-iron balustrade is decorated with palms; the walls carry garlands of holm oak and laurel leaves, trophies and eagles. A portrait of Marshal Niel painted by Charles-Philippe Larivière in 1860 hangs there, and plaques list every general who held a command in Toulouse.

The palace is an active military headquarters, so access is not open to walk-in visitors; entry depends on arranging a guided tour in advance. The building stands at the corner of rue Montoulieu-Saint-Jacques, along the allées Forain-François-Verdier and the square Boulingrin, so it is best viewed from the public street and the Grand-Rond gardens.

The grand staircase's cast-iron balustrade is decorated with palms, and the walls carry garlands of holm oak and laurel leaves, trophies and eagles. A portrait of Marshal Niel painted by Charles-Philippe Larivière in 1860 hangs there, and plaques in the entrance list every general who held a command in Toulouse.