TOULOUSE
The Couvent des Jacobins invites you to discover Toulouse during the Belle Époque with the exhibition ‘Ball at the Grand Hôtel: Entertainment in Toulouse during the Belle Époque’. Between 1871 and 1914, the city underwent a profound transformation: new forms of transport, technical progress, the growth of commerce and changing social customs gave rise to new ways of living and enjoying oneself.
Spanning 650 m², the exhibition offers an immersive experience of Toulouse in 1900 through life-size recreations. A Toulouse street, the Grand Hôtel lobby, a market, a café-restaurant, a shop, a railway station, a domestic interior and even a ballroom: each setting illustrates a facet of everyday life and leisure activities of the time.
Over 150 heritage artefacts, costumes, posters, furniture and everyday objects, combined with soundscapes and re-enactments, bring this era of change to life. The exhibition thus allows visitors to discover how cafés, restaurants, shows, walks, parties and balls gradually became essential venues for socialising.
Whether exploring freely, following a narrative or engaging in play through an immersive approach, everyone can experience the exhibition at their own pace and according to their own interests. A comprehensive cultural programme also complements the experience with guided tours, workshops, talks and activities centred on daily life and leisure during the Belle Époque.
An immersive journey into Toulouse in 1900, offering an insight into a city on the move and a fresh perspective on its history.
