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Marseille is a city with a great history and the sights of the southern metropolis in France are centered around the old port of the city, which was a natural place for Greek colonists. They built their first city in the area right here. It was around 600 BC, and since then several other Mediterranean cultures have influenced the city’s development.
The history of Marseille and influencing cultures can be seen at the MuCEM Museum, which was established close to some of the major fortifications at the port entrance. Fort Saint-Jean and Fort Saint-Nicolas are opposite each other as symbols of the French royal power which established the fortifications to control the rebel city which has since given its name to the French national anthem; La Marseillaise.
Marseille is also a city of interesting and beautiful architecture. The 19th-century city cathedral stands beautifully in Neo Byzantine inspiration next to the old church, which was built 800 years earlier in Romanesque style. More recently, Swiss architect Le Courbusier has designed La Cité Radieuse, which with new thinking set new standards for housing.
Marseille is also a good place for excursions to i.e. the island of Château d’If, which was made famous by Alexandre Dumas’ Count of Monte Cristo. The fine sandy beaches along Marseille’s coastlines and cities such as Toulon, Aix-en-Provence and Nîmes are also good choices for a day trip.
The Old Port of Marseille is a natural harbor that has been used since antiquity and remains the city’s center of activity including the main avenue La Canebière, which runs from here to the east through the city’s central districts.
The port’s history goes back to around 600 BC, when Greek colonists from Fokaia established themselves in the hilly terrain by the water. Over the centuries, the maritime activities developed around the port, which was expanded through the 15th and 17th centuries with larger quays and shipyards for galleons.
Fortifications were also established around the harbor to partly defend the city and the entrance and partly to secure the city against revolutionaries; continued Saint Jean and Saint Nicolas have, for example, been opposite each other since the 1660s under King Louis XIV, who precisely wanted secure control of Marseille.
Today, Vieux-Port is used as a marina and as a center for recreation, activities, dining and other recreation; e.g. sailing trips to, among other things, Château d’If. The traffic port has been continuously expanded, first in the district of Joliette and then along the coast to the northwest, where Marseille’s busy cruise port is also located.
This museum, also known simply as MuCEM, is a French national museum that opened in 2013 as one of the initiatives of the year in which Marseille was European City of Culture. The museum’s theme and focus is the different cultures of Europe and the Mediterranean region and the way they have cross-fertilized each other over time. The history of people, religion and culture is communicated both through the institution’s permanent and changing exhibitions.
The museum building was designed by the architect Rudy Ricciotti. It was built on filled land next to the 17th-century fortress Fort Saint-Jean, which is now part of the complex that was created in connection with the establishment of the museum.
The area in front of the museum is laid out as a large and open square directly to the Mediterranean, and from here there is a distinguished view and easy access to Marseilles Cathedral; Cathédrale de la Major.
Cathédrale de la Major is Marseille’s Roman Catholic cathedral, which is also designated as a French national monument. The church has had the status of basilica minor since 1896, and it has been the seat of an archbishop since 1948.
The large and beautiful church with Byzantine inspiration was built in the years 1852-1896. The design was created by architects Henri-Jacques Espérandieu and Léon Vaudoyer, and their impressive work measures 140 meters in length and 60 meters in height.
Inside the church, you can see a magnificent and sky-aspiring architecture that carries fine decorations. Byzantine domes and arches and the play of colors with the stones in the construction dominate the impression. You can also see the large neo-Romanesque ciborium at the high altar.
This place and area has been the seat of Marseille’s cathedrals since early Christian times, and the predecessor of the Cathédrale de la Major can be seen immediately next to the current cathedral. Here is the church Église de la Veille Major.
The church of Notre-Dame de la Garde is beautifully situated at the top of Marseille and one of the city’s landmarks. It is a Catholic basilica that was built on the 149 meter highest point in the city and on top of the foundations of a now historic fort.
The fort had been built in the 16th century to withstand a siege in 1536 by Emperor Charles V’s troops. Before this, a chapel called La Garde had already been established in 1214-1218 on the ridge. It was a priest who got approval from the nearby abbey to found the chapel and cultivate the surrounding land with, among other things, grapes. It was during a visit in 1516 by Francis I of France that the king realized that Marseille was poorly defended. This led him to build the fort at La Garde, which functioned together with the church, and one outside Marseille; Château d’If.
By the mid-1800s, the church had become too small for its popularity, and the various military buildings from the fort had become redundant. A new building was approved rather than a first proposed extension. After this, the foundation stone for the current Notre-Dame de la Garde was laid on 11 September 1853 by the Bishop of Marseille, and the church was completed the following year.
The architect was Henri-Jacques Espérandieu, and he has created a beautiful church that is dominated from the outside by the striped masonry that stretches up the 41 meter high tower. On top of this stands a statue of the Virgin Mary. In the church is a primary upper church room and a crypt below. You can see various beautiful works of art, and from the square outside the church there is a fine view over Marsaille and the Mediterranean.
As a curiosity, we can mention that in 1892 a hydraulic cable car was opened from the city to a place close to Notre-Dame de la Garde. Despite being well attended at first, it could not survive the spread of motoring in the long run and it closed in 1967.
Abbaye Saint-Victor is a former monastery with an attached church, named after the Christian martyr, Victor of Marseilles. Victor was a Roman officer who, because of his faith, was brought before the emperor and subsequently mistreated and killed around the year 290.
According to history, it was Johannes Cassianus who founded two monasteries dedicated to Saint Victor at the beginning of the 4th century. One of them was the precursor to today’s Abbaye Saint-Victor. Structurally, the abbey is believed to date from the end of the 4th century and thus after Cassianus’ time.
Both of Cassianus’ monasteries were destroyed by Syrian Saracens in the 7th or 8th century. The nunnery was not restored until 977 before the monastery reopened. Already in the middle of the 11th century, the abbey was greatly expanded; most significantly from this time are the castle-like towers that today form the entrance to the complex.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the monastery was financially well-founded, and it had both possessions and contacts in and with Syria, Spain and Sardinia. Politically, the monastery was also powerful, and in 1362 Guillaume Grimoard was appointed from here as Pope Urban V. He then had the monastery and its church greatly expanded. He granted new lands to the monastery and he consecrated the high altar during a visit to the church in 1365.
The time under Pope Urban V was the abbey’s heyday, and after that came times of decline. One of the abbey’s treasures was its library, and this is believed to have been dispersed and thereby destroyed in the latter half of the 16th century. The deroute continued, and in 1739 Pope Clement XII dissolved the place.
In 1794, the abbey was looted. Relics were burned and precious metals melted down. The buildings were fitted out as warehouses, prisons and barracks, and eventually only the monastery church itself was preserved. In the 19th century, the church was rededicated for religious purposes, and Pope Pius XI made it a basilica minor in 1934. Thus, it is an active church with a long and interesting history that you can visit today, and the church space exudes old times and a associated devotion.
Incidentally, the square in front of the Abbaye Saint-Victor is one of the best places in the city to enjoy a fine view of the old port, the Vieux Port, and of some of the beautiful buildings on the opposite side of the port.
La Cité Radieuse is a residential building that became a landmark in style, philosophy and interior design. It was built in the suburbs of Marseille in the years 1947-1952 according to the design principles of the architect Le Corbusier, who refers to such a building as a residential unit/unité d’habitation.
La Cité Radieuse was built in raw concrete, and the building came to provide inspiration partly for the following brutalism and partly for many apartment blocks, which, however, often lacked this building’s grandiose proportions and well-conceived interior design. Behind the walls, there are in the same unit both housing, business, restaurant, recreation and large continuous corridors to the two-storey apartments, of which there are a total of 337 on the 12 floors. The entire block stands on massive piles, which partly provide air and partly allow for parking. A running track, children’s pool and other things were built on the roof, thereby making use of the entire building.
Le Corbusier went on to build four more of these units in Berlin, Briey, Firminy and Nantes. Other of his edifices are seen around with the construction of Indian Chandigarh being the biggest project. The innovation in La Cité Radieuse came not least from a study of the Narkomfin Building/Дом Наркомфина in Moscow. This building is an avant-garde block of flats that was built in the years 1928-1932.
Today, Le Corbusier’s work in La Cité Radieuse stands as a significant architectural feature in the city. It provided inspiration for many buildings with its innovative design of interior design, and you can get a taste of it at the Hotel Le Corbusier, which is housed in the exciting building.
Fort Saint-Jean is a fortification at the entrance to Marseille’s old port with a location opposite Fort Saint-Nicolas. It was built under King Louis XIV in 1660, and the name comes from the former building on the site, which belonged to a knightly order under Saint John.
The fort was built together with other fortifications in the city to secure the king’s power in case of any rebellions. It succeeded until 1790, when revolutionaries captured the fort and beheaded its commander, who would not surrender. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, Fort Saint-Jean was used as a prison, where one of the prisoners was Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans.
In the 1800s and 1900s, the fort was used as barracks by the military, and it acted as a training and departure point for the soldiers going to North Africa with the Foreign Legion.
During World War II, Fort Saint-Jean was occupied by German troops from November 1942 until the liberation of Marseille in August 1944. During the fighting, part of the fort was destroyed by an explosion; these damages were propagated by a restoration in 1967-1971. Today, the site is partly built together with the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM).
La Canebière is Marseille’s main street that runs through the city’s old quarter by the Vieux-Port. Its name comes from the Latin word for cannabis, which is because the land in the area was historically used to grow hemp for the production of ropes and baskets. For many centuries, Marseille was the world’s leading place for trading these products.
The street La Canebière was laid out in 1666 under King Louis XIV, and it was part of the king’s expansion and modernization of the southern French city. It was with the demolition of the Grand Arsenal shipyard that La Canebière was brought through to the port itself.
In the decades around 1900, the street experienced a boom with cafes, shops, luxury hotels and, in general, many activities for the leading citizens of the city. Later in the 20th century, the neighborhood around La Canebière fell into disrepair, but in recent years there has been investment again in an active street life, and Marseille’s modern trams now roll here on one of the city’s lines.
On Tuesday, October 9, 1934, an event occurred that will forever inscribe La Canebière in the history books. On this day, the Yugoslav King Alexander I arrived in Marseille as the start of an official state visit. The king would never hold public offices on Tuesdays, as three members of his family had previously been killed on Tuesdays, but in Marseilles he was forced to make a public appearance.
The king was driving through La Canebière with the French foreign minister, Louis Barthou, when Bulgarian Vlado Černozemski jumped forward and shot Alexander I. The king died in the car, and Louis Barthou was so badly wounded that he later died due to lack of necessary medical help. The assassination took place opposite the Palais de La Bourse building.
This is a museum of local history and archaeology. The museum opened in 1983 in connection with previous excavations at the site, where new finds from Marseille’s history were discovered. You can experience effects and stories from different periods in history with several highlights; among other things, parts of a boat from the 10th century and the great new town planning with King Louis XIV in the 17th century.
The area outside the museum is also exciting, as here you can see the excavation of a part of old Marseille. It is in the Jardin des Vestiges, where remains of Marseille’s ancient Roman harbor have now been excavated. At that time, the harbor front was not laid out as it is known today, and the area at the Jardin des Vestiges formed the innermost part of the large natural harbour.
La Vieille Charité almshouse is one of Marseille’s fine building complexes from the Baroque era. It was designed by Pierre Puget and built between 1671 and 1749 as a poorhouse in the district of Panier.
The idea of a poorhouse was conceived in 1622, but it took until 1640 before a piece of land was acquired for the purpose. In the same year, the foundation stone was officially laid, but it took a good 30 years before the complex took off. However, the central and characteristic church in the middle of the complex was completed in 1704. In a rectangle around the church, three-storey houses with archways facing the inner courtyard were built.
The place acted as an asylum for the poor, vagabonds and others at the bottom of society. From the 1800s to 1922, the site was set up as barracks for the French Foreign Legion, and later the site was used to rehouse families whose houses had been destroyed during renovations or by bombs during the Second World War.
La Vieille Charité was in great disrepair when, in 1968, it was decided to save it. A large-scale restoration took place between 1970 and 1986; below, the beautiful round church was also restored to its original state. Today, several public institutions and museums are located in the buildings.
Palais Longchamp is one of Marseille’s large and imposing buildings. The palatial building was built on the occasion of the opening of the Canal de Marseille, which brought water from the Durance River to the French metropolis. The foundation stone was laid in 1839, and construction was completed in and opened in 1869.
The architect of the work was Henri-Jacques Espèrandieu, who designed the mansion as a coherent complex of several building parts. In the center is the Water Castle/Château d’Eau, which is connected to the two wing buildings by fine colonnades.
There are two museums in the Palais Longchamp. In the east wing you can see the Museum of Fine Arts/Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Museum of Natural History/Musée d’Histoire Naturelle. Here you can get acquainted with art from the 16th-18th centuries, from e.g. Peter Paul Rubens and a number of French painters and natural history from France and the world, anatomy and more.
Around the mansion is the beautiful park, Parc Longchamp. It was opened in 1869 as the palace building itself, and it is known for its large and beautiful fountain in front of the Palais Longchamp. As part of the fountain sculptures, statues of four bulls and three women are seen; the latter representing the river Durance, grapes and wheat respectively as signs of the channel and fertility. Behind this group is an artificial grotto in the lower part of the mansion’s Château d’Eau. On the opposite side of the buildings is a classic French garden, also worth a stroll.
Château d’If is a castle built on the island of If, which is the smallest of the four Frioul islands off Marseille. If’s area is approximately three hectares, and it became world famous as one of the locations in Alexandre Dumas’ adventure novel The Count of Monte Cristo from 1844.
If is located just over three kilometers west of Marseille’s old port, and it therefore constitutes a strategically good position for the city’s defense of the water side, and precisely for this reason the castle Château d’If was built in the difficult-to-access location.
The “castle” itself, Château d’If, is a square building with three solid and fortified towers with embrasures. It was built 1524-1531 by order of King Frans I. It was Francis I who, during a visit in 1516, noticed the island’s good position and thus strengthened the city’s defences. It was a controversial structure, as Marseille had the statutory right to build its own defenses after its incorporation into France in 1481. The sea fort was therefore also seen as part of the central power’s control of southern France.
Surrounding the castle building are a number of bastions and fortifications covering almost the entire area of the island. The castle was never able to repel attacks, but the location meant that the island and the castle were eventually set up as a prison, which was considered escape-proof. The deportation of many religious and political prisoners quickly made Château d’If one of the most notorious of France’s prisons.
The only one who is believed to have escaped from the prison at Château d’If is Edmond Dantès, who is the main character in Alexandre Dumas’ novel. After 14 years of captivity, he succeeded, and both the feat and the novel have meant that many tourists go here and, among other things, can experience a cell named after Dantès. You get here by boat from Marseille’s old port. It has been possible since 1890, when the castle was demilitarized and the prison was no longer active.
Aix-en-Provence is a city in the south of France that exudes a Provencal atmosphere. In the small streets, one picturesque scene unfolds after another. Old mansions and churches, the shade under the many plane trees, cozy squares and all the city’s fountains are just some of the things that quickly impress you. Aix-en-Provence is also known as the hometown of the painter Paul Cezanne, and in many streets in the center you can see some metal plates in the pavement, all marked with a large “C”. They show the way through the city that Cézanne with his works could have walked.
The street Le Cours Mirabeau is Aix-en-Provence’s grand street. It was laid out in 1649, and you can walk along it in the shade of the plane trees. The buildings along Le Cours Mirabeau mainly date from the 1600s and 1700s, and you can notice the mansions Hôtel de Villars from 1710, Hôtel Isoard de Vauvenargues from 1710, Hôtel d’Arbaud-Jouques from 1730 and Hôtel Forbin from 1656.
Toulon is one of the larger cities along the French Mediterranean coast, and the area has been inhabited by Greek colonists since the 6th century BC. Over time, the city has developed strongly, and became part of France in 1486 together with the region of Provence. Eight years later, King Charles VIII initiated the construction of the naval port that is still home to Toulon. In 1524, Toulon’s harbor was strengthened with the construction of the Tour Royale fortress, and throughout the 16th century there were continuous battles in and around the city.
Louis XIV wanted to make France a power factor in the Mediterranean, and he had the military engineer Vauban fortify Toulon and its port. Later, Toulon became famous for being the scene of Napoleon’s successful siege in 1793, where he and France overcame the British. In the middle of the 19th century, fortifications and parts of the city were renovated and expanded.
Arles is a southern French city that was founded in the 5th century BC. by Greeks who called it Theline. Soon after, Theline was conquered by Celtic tribes and renamed Arelate. In the year 123 BC the city became Roman, and it flourished not least after the city had supported Julius Caesar against Pompey. In the 4th and 5th centuries, the city was visited several times by the emperors of Rome, it became an important administrative city in the western part of the empire, and mighty buildings were erected here. Arles was also an important port city at this time.
In the medieval year 933, Arles became the capital of the Kingdom of Arles, which was created by merging Upper Burgundy with Lower Burgundy. The kingdom lasted until 1033, when it became part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1178, Frederick Barbarossa was crowned king in Arles, thereby regaining some political importance. Arles became an important trading city with its location on the Rhône, and over the past centuries Arles has been home to many famous artists such as Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh, who was particularly productive during his time in the city from 1888 to 1889.
Nîmes is a city in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. The place was inhabited by Celts before it in the 100s BC. became part of the Roman province of Narbonnensis. The area’s main road led through the city, which in the Roman Empire was called Colonia Nemausa, and which in the time of Emperor Augustus was the regional capital and home to around 60,000 inhabitants.
The Romans constructed many buildings in and around the city, such as the city’s amphitheater and the Pont du Gard aqueduct. After the Romans, the Visigoths and Moors arrived, before Louis VIII conquered the city in 1226, and it became part of France in 1259. Later, Nîmes became economically important due not least to the large textile industry, which gave the name to denim trousers, referring to the fact that the fabric originated from Nîmes.
11 Avenue de Saint-Antoine
carrefour.fr
17 Courses Belsunce
centre-bourse.com
40-48 Rue St Ferréol
galerieslafayette.com
11 Avenue de Saint-Antoine
marseille-grand-littoral.fr
117 Traverse de la Montre
grand-v.com
Quai du Lazaret
lesterrassesduport.com
Quai de la Tourette
lesvoutes-marseille.fr
La Canebìere
monoprix.fr
La Canebìere, Rue Paradis, Rue de Rome, Rue St Ferréol
Musée d’Histoire Naturelle
Longchamp Palace, Montricher Boulevard
museum-marseille.org
Musée de la Marine et de l’Economie de Marseille
Palais de la Bourse, La Canebière
ccimp.com
Musée de la Moto
18 Traverse Saint Paul
muse-de-la-moto.marseille.fr
Musée des Civilisations d’Europe et Méditerranée
1 Esplanade Du J4
mucem.org
Plages du Prado, Promenade Georges Pompidou
The Marseille area was settled around the year 600 BC. by Greek colonists from Fokaia in Asia Minor. Fokaia was an important center of trade and shipping, and their southern French colony called the Massalia, which has become today’s Marseille. Greeks came to Massalia several times; including about 540, when Persians destroyed Fokaia.
Massalia was strategically good for trade in the Mediterranean, and in Greek times the city became one of the leading trading stations. At the peak of the city, it had in the 300s BC. about 6,000 inhabitants, and Massalia was surrounded by protective city walls.
There were several major buildings in Massalia; including temples dedicated to Apollo and Artemis. There was also a form of Republican democracy with a council where the city’s 600 richest determined its development.
In time, the Greek colonies around the western Mediterranean were pushed by new powers that emerged. It also applied to Massalia, who could see Carthage grow and both Celts and Etruscans as people who broadened their influence.
In response to this new competition and threat, Massalia allied with the Roman Republic. It provided both protection and also access to the lucrative Roman market, which brought Massalia new trade and prosperity.
Massalia remained independent until Julius Caesar’s time in Rome. The city was a party for Caesar’s opponents, which ended with a Roman siege and subsequent conquest in the year 49 BC. The Romans confiscated the city’s fleet, and Massalia was renamed the more Roman Massilia.
In Roman times Massilia developed further, and many Greek plants were rebuilt and expanded; this applied to the city’s port area, among other things. It was also during this time that Christianity spread and gained its former ancestry with the construction of churches. Thus, the diocese of Massilia was established already in the first century AD.
The greatness of the Roman Empire was good for Marseille’s development, and even the centuries after the Romans became good times for the city governed by the Visigoths of the 400s.
With its large port and extensive facilities, Marseille even became one of the entire Mediterranean’s leading trading places in the 500s, which was a heyday of the city. Greek and Roman structures continued to be used, and the ancient and existing city walls were an asset for protection and prosperity.
739 was a fateful year for Marseille. This year, the city was attacked by Karl Martell’s armies; he was the ruler of the empire and the real leader of the three Frankish kingdoms of the time. Martell attacked due to political opposition to his governor, and it marked the beginning of several centuries of decline in Marseille.
After facing several attacks since the victory of Karl Martell in 739, the Counties of Provence from the 9th century developed Marseille to once again become a regional trading center with new prosperity.
In 1214, Marseille was established as a republic, which of course provided new opportunities. However, it also came to political struggles and defeat; just as the plague ravaged the years 1347-1361. It is believed to have killed about 15,000 residents or more than half of the city. This led to an economic downturn, which was only compounded by the plunder of Aragon in 1423.
New good times came quickly, however, as Provence Count René of Anjou allowed Marseille to expand with significant fortifications from 1437. On that occasion, the city became the most fortified in France outside Paris. René of Anjou used Marseille’s strong harbor as a starting point for his voyage to recapture the Kingdom of Sicily. After this, Marseille’s defense around the port was greatly expanded; it happened in the years 1447-1453.
In 1481, Marseille was united with Provence and the following year it became part of France. However, the city became a continuing source of potential revolt against the central government in Paris. When King Frans I visited Marseille a few decades after the association, the construction of the Château d’If off the town’s port became one of the defensive results.
A few years later, troops from the German-Roman Empire besieged Marseille, and the city’s port was the home of a fleet from the Franco-Ottoman Alliance, which faced not least the German-Roman Empire and neighboring Genoa.
The rebel thoughts gained momentum over time, and King Louis XIV himself was at the head of the French army, which was to crush a real revolt with Marseille’s governor. It was in the middle of the 17th century, and the king gained control of the city and allowed the forts of Saint-Nicolas and Saint-Jean to erect on either side of the harbor. This was done to strengthen the city’s defense, but at the same time the forts were also positions of strength from the king and the government against any new unrest.
Marseille’s position as France’s most important port on the Mediterranean was cemented through the 1700s, when several developments of both port facilities and site fortification were completed.
Progress was evident, but there were also significant setbacks for the city, not least the plague that hit several times. As a result of the epidemic of 1720, about 100,000 are thought to have been killed by the disease in and around Marseille.
Throughout the 18th century many prestigious buildings were erected, and some institutions saw the light of day. It was about the city’s science academy, a poor house and the elegant Château Borély a little south of the city center.
With the French Revolution later in the 18th century, the monarchy declined and a revolutionary government ruled in Paris. The song La Marseillaise was written in Strasbourg in 1792 and it had its breakthrough in Marseille the same year. The song, which became a French national anthem in 1795, was sung at the inlet of Paris by the Marseille forces taken to protect the revolutionary government. In this way, Marseille came to put its long-lasting mark on France due to the revolution.
Throughout the 19th century, strong growth occurred in Marseille through industrialization, the railway, urbanization and other things that generally belonged to the 19th century. In addition, the colonial status of France gained special importance for Marseilles.
With the French conquests in North Africa, not least Algeria, Marseille became the natural port for trade with the colonies. This resulted in a marked increase in prosperity, which just got better conditions with the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
The favorable economic development allowed for some new construction, and from this time a part of Marseille’s large mansions, monuments and so on. These include, for example, the Palais de Justice, the current Notre-Dame de la Garde, the city’s cathedral and the Arc de Triomphe at Place Jules Guesde.
The economy, industries and trade attracted many new inhabitants to Marseille. Throughout the 19th century the population increased from about 110,000 to almost 500,000. New railways and trams were built to cope with the increasing traffic volume.
In Marseille’s status as the primary port and with the considerable traffic on the colonies made the city something special compared to international France. In both 1906 and 1922, large colonial exhibitions were conducted in the city, and large drawers made its mark in several places in Marseille. The city’s train station, Saint-Charles, was thus given a new and imposing entrance staircase, which has been laid out with statues and other decoration as a manifestation of the success of the French colonies.
However, the port and its shops also attracted a lot of crime over time, and between the two world wars of the 20th century, the city had a reputation for corruption and organized crime. A criminal act, inscribed in the history books, happened on the streets of the city on October 9, 1934. Here, King Yugoslav King Alexander I arrived in Marseilles to meet with French Foreign Minister Louis Barthou. Alexander and Louis Barthou were shot and killed at La Canebìere outside the Palais de la Bourse by a revolutionary Bulgarian.
Both German and Italian bombings ravaged Marseille in 1940, and from November 1942 to July 1944 the city was occupied by German troops. In 1944, Allied forces bombed Marseille’s old port during the liberation of France, and Marseille itself was liberated on August 29 of that year.
The city was rebuilt in the post-war years, and new architecture saw the light of day with Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse in the 1950s. Housing was also built around the old port; it was and is the La Tourette complex.
The decades after World War II were also where more than a million immigrants from primarily North Africa came to France, and not least the many from Algeria have since left their mark on the southern French metropolis. Many French also returned from the colonies and settled in Marseilles; those were the so-called pied-noirs.
In recent decades, much has been invested in tourism. The city center is in former glory and new museums of international character have been opened. Part of Marseille’s large port district has also been established as a new area with offices, shops and new housing. The crown of the work of the great effort to develop the city was the status of European Capital of Culture in 2013.
Marseille, France[/caption]
Overview of Marseille
Marseille is a city with a great history and the sights of the southern metropolis in France are centered around the old port of the city, which was a natural place for Greek colonists. They built their first city in the area right here. It was around 600 BC, and since then several other Mediterranean cultures have influenced the city’s development.
The history of Marseille and influencing cultures can be seen at the MuCEM Museum, which was established close to some of the major fortifications at the port entrance. Fort Saint-Jean and Fort Saint-Nicolas are opposite each other as symbols of the French royal power which established the fortifications to control the rebel city which has since given its name to the French national anthem; La Marseillaise.
Marseille is also a city of interesting and beautiful architecture. The 19th-century city cathedral stands beautifully in Neo Byzantine inspiration next to the old church, which was built 800 years earlier in Romanesque style. More recently, Swiss architect Le Courbusier has designed La Cité Radieuse, which with new thinking set new standards for housing.
About the Whitehorse travel guide
Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
Published: Released soon
Author: Stig Albeck
Publisher: Vamados.com
Language: English
About the travel guide
The Whitehorse travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Canadian city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.
Whitehorse is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.
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Canada Travel Guide: https://vamados.com/canada
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Fort Saint-Jean is a fortification at the entrance to Marseille’s old port with a location opposite Fort Saint-Nicolas. It was built under King Louis XIV in 1660, and the name comes from the former building on the site, which belonged to a knightly order under Saint John.
The fort was built together with other fortifications in the city to secure the king’s power in case of any rebellions. It succeeded until 1790, when revolutionaries captured the fort and beheaded its commander, who would not surrender. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, Fort Saint-Jean was used as a prison, where one of the prisoners was Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans.
In the 1800s and 1900s, the fort was used as barracks by the military, and it acted as a training and departure point for the soldiers going to North Africa with the Foreign Legion.
During World War II, Fort Saint-Jean was occupied by German troops from November 1942 until the liberation of Marseille in August 1944. During the fighting, part of the fort was destroyed by an explosion; these damages were propagated by a restoration in 1967-1971. Today, the site is partly built together with the Musée des Civilisations de l’Europe et de la Méditerranée (MuCEM).
La Canebière is Marseille’s main street that runs through the city’s old quarter by the Vieux-Port. Its name comes from the Latin word for cannabis, which is because the land in the area was historically used to grow hemp for the production of ropes and baskets. For many centuries, Marseille was the world’s leading place for trading these products.
The street La Canebière was laid out in 1666 under King Louis XIV, and it was part of the king’s expansion and modernization of the southern French city. It was with the demolition of the Grand Arsenal shipyard that La Canebière was brought through to the port itself.
In the decades around 1900, the street experienced a boom with cafes, shops, luxury hotels and, in general, many activities for the leading citizens of the city. Later in the 20th century, the neighborhood around La Canebière fell into disrepair, but in recent years there has been investment again in an active street life, and Marseille’s modern trams now roll here on one of the city’s lines.
On Tuesday, October 9, 1934, an event occurred that will forever inscribe La Canebière in the history books. On this day, the Yugoslav King Alexander I arrived in Marseille as the start of an official state visit. The king would never hold public offices on Tuesdays, as three members of his family had previously been killed on Tuesdays, but in Marseilles he was forced to make a public appearance.
The king was driving through La Canebière with the French foreign minister, Louis Barthou, when Bulgarian Vlado Černozemski jumped forward and shot Alexander I. The king died in the car, and Louis Barthou was so badly wounded that he later died due to lack of necessary medical help. The assassination took place opposite the Palais de La Bourse building.
This is a museum of local history and archaeology. The museum opened in 1983 in connection with previous excavations at the site, where new finds from Marseille’s history were discovered. You can experience effects and stories from different periods in history with several highlights; among other things, parts of a boat from the 10th century and the great new town planning with King Louis XIV in the 17th century.
The area outside the museum is also exciting, as here you can see the excavation of a part of old Marseille. It is in the Jardin des Vestiges, where remains of Marseille’s ancient Roman harbor have now been excavated. At that time, the harbor front was not laid out as it is known today, and the area at the Jardin des Vestiges formed the innermost part of the large natural harbour.
La Vieille Charité almshouse is one of Marseille’s fine building complexes from the Baroque era. It was designed by Pierre Puget and built between 1671 and 1749 as a poorhouse in the district of Panier.
The idea of a poorhouse was conceived in 1622, but it took until 1640 before a piece of land was acquired for the purpose. In the same year, the foundation stone was officially laid, but it took a good 30 years before the complex took off. However, the central and characteristic church in the middle of the complex was completed in 1704. In a rectangle around the church, three-storey houses with archways facing the inner courtyard were built.
The place acted as an asylum for the poor, vagabonds and others at the bottom of society. From the 1800s to 1922, the site was set up as barracks for the French Foreign Legion, and later the site was used to rehouse families whose houses had been destroyed during renovations or by bombs during the Second World War.
La Vieille Charité was in great disrepair when, in 1968, it was decided to save it. A large-scale restoration took place between 1970 and 1986; below, the beautiful round church was also restored to its original state. Today, several public institutions and museums are located in the buildings.
Palais Longchamp is one of Marseille’s large and imposing buildings. The palatial building was built on the occasion of the opening of the Canal de Marseille, which brought water from the Durance River to the French metropolis. The foundation stone was laid in 1839, and construction was completed in and opened in 1869.
The architect of the work was Henri-Jacques Espèrandieu, who designed the mansion as a coherent complex of several building parts. In the center is the Water Castle/Château d’Eau, which is connected to the two wing buildings by fine colonnades.
There are two museums in the Palais Longchamp. In the east wing you can see the Museum of Fine Arts/Musée des Beaux-Arts and the Museum of Natural History/Musée d’Histoire Naturelle. Here you can get acquainted with art from the 16th-18th centuries, from e.g. Peter Paul Rubens and a number of French painters and natural history from France and the world, anatomy and more.
Around the mansion is the beautiful park, Parc Longchamp. It was opened in 1869 as the palace building itself, and it is known for its large and beautiful fountain in front of the Palais Longchamp. As part of the fountain sculptures, statues of four bulls and three women are seen; the latter representing the river Durance, grapes and wheat respectively as signs of the channel and fertility. Behind this group is an artificial grotto in the lower part of the mansion’s Château d’Eau. On the opposite side of the buildings is a classic French garden, also worth a stroll.
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