A Tightrope Wedding in Toulouse, France in 1954

Berty Omankowsky and Roger Decugis were both tightrope walkers belonging to a famous circus troupe called “Les Diables Blancs” (The White Devils). The troupe was founded and led by Berty’s father, Rudolf “Papa Rudy” Omankowsky, a renowned Czechoslovakian funambulist. The Omankowsky family was known for its incredible high-wire feats, and Berty, along with her siblings, was a key member of the act.

On May 22, 1954, the couple decided to take their vows in a way that truly reflected their profession and passion. Instead of a traditional ceremony, their wedding took place on a high wire stretched across the Place du Capitole in Toulouse, France.

The ceremony was performed several meters above the ground on a wire suspended over the bustling town square. A priest named Father Robert Simon, known as the “Flying Priest” for his daring dives for charity, blessed the couple from a fireman’s ladder.

The event was immortalized by the famous Toulouse photographer Jean Dieuzaide. In a remarkable feat of his own, Dieuzaide captured the moment while perched on the shoulders of the bride’s father, Rudolf Omankowsky, who was also balancing on the wire.

Toulouse in 1980 Through Amazing Black and White Photos

Toulouse is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the Mediterranean Sea, 230 km (143 mi) from the Atlantic Ocean and 680 km (420 mi) from Paris. It is the fourth-largest city in France.

Toulouse is the centre of the European aerospace industry, with the headquarters of Airbus (formerly EADS), the SPOT satellite system, ATR and the Aerospace Valley. It also hosts the European headquarters of Intel and the CNES’s Toulouse Space Centre (CST), the largest space centre in Europe. Thales Alenia Space, ATR, SAFRAN, Liebherr-Aerospace and Airbus Defence and Space also have a significant presence in Toulouse.

The University of Toulouse is one of the oldest in Europe (founded in 1229). Toulouse is also the home of prestigious higher education schools, particularly in the field of aerospace engineering. Together with the university, they have turned Toulouse into the fourth-largest student city in France, with a university population of nearly 140,000 students.

The air route between Toulouse–Blagnac and the Parisian airports is the busiest in France. According to the rankings of L’Express and Challenges, Toulouse is the most dynamic French city. The city’s unique architecture made of pinkish terracotta bricks has earned Toulouse the nickname La Ville Rose (“The Pink City”).

These amazing black and white photos were taken by Yves Galland that show street scenes of Toulouse in 1980.

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