The King of Olten

In the middle of the beautiful but tiny historic old town, you will find an unusual statue. A majestic lifesize bronze cat with a golden crown sits on a pedestal and seems to overlook the Kaplaneiplatz with its benches and fountain as if it was his kingdom. And in a way, not only the Kaplaneiplatz but the whole old town of Olten was this feline’s kingdom.

Toulouse, as the black and white cat was called, lived and roamed in the old town meeting his devoted subjects and making himself at home in every shop, café or even the library of the old town. Among the citizens, Toulouse the cat was known as the King of Olten. But only after famous swiss author Alex Capus named one of his books The King of Olten and wrote a story about the headstrong cat, his fame grew larger and he was known all over Switzerland. 

Unfortunately every king’s regency has to come to an end. The famous feline died in 2017 at the age of 18. A year later the city erected the lifesize statue to honor the beloved and famous cat. The king’s subjects can not only pay their respect to the statue but also to the mounted original Toulouse, which can be visited in the Natural History Museum of Olten.