TOULOUSE
Within the thick walls of the Castelet, a remnant of the former Saint-Michel prison in Toulouse, lies a little-known chapter in the city’s history of imprisonment and the Resistance. This one-hour guided tour invites visitors to explore the former administrative and surveillance areas, adjoining the cells, which today stand as silent witnesses to a turbulent past. An inner courtyard, a period cell door, floor markings and an interactive map help visitors understand the architecture of control devised in the 19th century. But the Castelet is not just a lesson in architecture: it is also a place deeply marked by the Second World War. A state prison under the Vichy regime and later a detention centre used by the Nazis, it held major figures of the Resistance, such as Marcel Langer, François Verdier and Alfred Nakache. Combining historical facts with personal accounts, this tour offers an immersive experience of a place long closed to the public, which today serves as a repository of memory and a vehicle for passing on history.
