# MARSEILLE - with an emphasis on historical buildings, events and details



## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

This is a side street from Rue Paradis called Rue Venture



















A couple of interesting things are on the walls of this street: in this building was printed Marseille's oldest newspaper, Le Sémaphore, from 1827 to 1945 (like all newspapers that carried on being legally distributed in occupied France, it was put out of business at the liberation. That's why just about all French newspapers in circulation today were founded no earlier than 1945).










I can understand why one of the dates says 1827, but I don't know why the other one says 1667, especially as this street didn't exist until 1690.

This is the top end of the building. As the street is very narrow this is the best photo I can take










The other interesting thing in this street is the building where French author Stendhal lived (briefly). I had to study one of his books at school (Le Rouge et le Noir), I'm not really a fan personally.




























It's now a health food shop.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

I like to see shutters on windows. 

Thanks for the updates.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

Back to La Canebière - looking down towards the Vieux Port at this end










And up the other way




























At the end of this side street, the opera










This commemorates the assassination at this spot of La Canebière of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia in 1934 by a Yugoslav nationalist. The French Foreign minister Louis Berthou was also killed in the crossfire






















































































































This used to be a hotel, now a police station













































































































And at the top of La Canebière is the Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, built in the second half of the 19th century


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## aarhusforever (Jun 15, 2010)

Thank you for all the interesting info and the photos :cheers:


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## Pistolero (May 19, 2011)

Very nice kay:


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

When I started this thread I said that I would try to follow some kind of geographical progression; for the time being it seems as if I've managed to do that: here is a map showing the location of the various things that have been in these photos so far


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

This is the area around the aforementioned church (known as le Chapitre or les Réformés)


















































































The modern building with the copper coloured glass façade is the local town hall for the 1st and 7th arrondissement. It stands in the place of a building that took a direct hit during a bombing raid hence the complete difference in style compared to the surrounding buildings


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)




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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

Here are some more pictures of St Vincent-de-Paul, built between 1855 and 1886.




























There were meant to be sculptures within the tympanums, but at one point funds were scarce and they never got made (and presumably never will at this stage)

Joan of Arc










At the base of the statue are scenes of her life

Siege of Orleans










Crowning of Charles VII










With Charles VII










Burning at the stake


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

This is the monument to the Franco-Prussian war of 1870-71.
































































This lists the battles that the regiments from this region (Provence) took part in. The ones at the top of the list are from the Franco-Prussian War, however the last two (Bordj-Bou-Arreridj and Bordj-Medjanah), although they occurred during the same time period, actually had nothing to do with the Prussians at all but were part of a rebellion in what was then French Algeria










Also not far from this monument is a Wallace fountain


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

Further up



















Here is a WWII era sign: "abri" means shelter. These can still occasionally be seen painted alongside doors to buildings with deep cellars, as Marseille didn't have an underground metro back then nor did it have dedicated air raid shelters




























Another air raid shelter sign


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## 600West218 (Aug 30, 2010)

The Franco-Prussian momument looks very interesting. Here in the US we are taught nothing about that war. But in the Army Museum in Paris I saw some really good paintings on it. They really conveyed the horros of that war.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

> The Franco-Prussian momument looks very interesting. Here in the US we are taught nothing about that war. But in the Army Museum in Paris I saw some really good paintings on it. They really conveyed the horros of that war.


To be honest I can't remember learning much about it at school, here in France. That war brought down the French Second Empire, forcing Napoleon III into exile in the UK, and gave rise to the Paris Commune and the Third Republic; and the first president of that republic (Adolphe Thiers) was born just up a street from where this monument now stands.



















This house here


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## capricorn2000 (Nov 30, 2006)

nice photo tour.
I'm always impressed with that typical simply designed but elegant architecture 
with wrought iron balcony and French windows. Does that design have a name?
some sections remind me of Paris which I have a chance to visit long time ago.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

If you are referring to the photos on the first page of the Rue de la République then it is generally known as Haussmannien style (or sometimes Second Empire).


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## Bristol Mike (Aug 5, 2007)

Marseille looks very appealing - a perfect mix of Parisian style with southern French style.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

In certain ways - Marseille - from your photos, reminds me of Naples.

There is a photographic album of pictures called 'Cities on the Edge' - which focuses on the cities of Marseille, Naples, Liverpool, Bremen, Gdansk & Istanbul - your pictures reveal a small part of the logic behind that collection.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

> In certain ways - Marseille - from your photos, reminds me of Naples.
> 
> There is a photographic album of pictures called 'Cities on the Edge' - which focuses on the cities of Marseille, Naples, Liverpool, Bremen, Gdansk & Istanbul - your pictures reveal a small part of the logic behind that collection.


I just looked that up, it seems to be more than just a book but also a wider cultural partnership. Thanks for that info.

Next I'm going to show some photos of a church called Saint-Martin d'Arenc which is now in a state of neglect (despite being built recently - in 1913). It is in the same area as the Silo and the Dock building shown in page 1 of this thread, and is in a neo-romanesque style.


















































































There is talk of saving it, but in my opinion there is little hope of that as it is in quite bad condition (more so than can be seen from these few pictures) with large cracks in the walls, and would be very costly to renovate. Also it is not sure what they could then do with such a building (at one point there was talk of turning into some kind of cultural centre). Unfortunately the state of the building has also been made worse by squatters occasionally taking advantage of the place, littering it with cigarette butts, empty bottles and various rubbish, and even lighting fires. 

It's illegal to go inside due to the danger of collapsing masonry but there are photographs of the interior here.


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## skymantle (Jul 17, 2010)

^^ Fascinating. I would save that church and adapt it to be reused as a cultural centre, art space or even an edgy night club playing electronica or whatever. I've experienced churches turned into nightclubs, and they have a wonderful atmosphere because the building's structure lends it to an 'out-of-this-world' experience that you'd expect in a nightclub; the high ceilings, nooks and crannies, together with smart lighting etc. And instead of the preacher at the pulpit, the crowd can worship the DJ at the altar...after all God is a DJ they say. :righton:

Great coverage. Keep it up. :cheers:


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## [email protected] (Jan 17, 2004)

Looks much better than I thought.

Marseille somehow has a quite negative reputation in the rest of Europe, but it looks like they have put in a lot of work to renovate and clean up the city in recent years.

Thanks for your photos.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

@ Skymantle, yes it would be nice if it could be saved , especially as it is quite a handsome building (despite its decrepit state). Unfortunately some of the estimates that I have seen on the internet quote up to 3 million euros to renovate it and make it safe which would sadly not make it economically feasible, and as time goes by it will only get worse. Apparently one of the problems is its foundations (the soil in this area is reclaimed land and it's very sandy, which explains the huge cracks in a building that is barely a century old).

But I agree with you that it would make a good entertainment venue - when I was a student in Southampton there was a church that was turned into a pub and the architecture worked quite nicely. The bar ran all the way along one side, and the area where the altar used to be was used as a stage for bands, DJs and karaoke.

@ Raptor, Marseille does have a certain "reputation" but is indeed undergoing a lot of change at the moment. Notably for the 2013 European City of Culture, but there have been ongoing projects since before as well. I'm optimistic for the future of this city in terms of the modernisation of the infrastructure and urban fabric.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

This is the main railway station, Saint Charles. Originally built in 1847, it has gone through numerous tranformations and additions since then, although parts of the original building still exist. The station is on a hill and since 1925 is linked to the avenue below it by a large flight of steps.



















At the foot of the steps are two sculptures representing France's major colonial possessions at the time. Marseille was considered to be France's gateway to the empire hence the colonial theme here.

African colonies



















Asian colonies










Halfway up the steps are two stone pillars; the one on the right represents the gateway to the Orient, the one on the left represents Marseille's Greek heritage. Both show a strong nautical theme.














































Around this point there is also a side access to another level of the station (actually there is one on each side).










For some reason there are bronze sculpures representing various agriculural and pastoral activities.



















Right at the top are two symetrical sculptures of a child with a lion.



















Here are views from the top looking back down towards the city centre.





































Looking down towards the other side


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Great images - very classical.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates from Marseille; well done :cheers:


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

This is the main façade of the station, which was built in 1896.










However the section to the right, known as the Narvik wing, is the oldest surviving part of the station and is actually part of the original structure dating from 1847.




























Unfortunately as the station is on a hill it's hard to get far enough from it without falling off a parapet, which is why these photos don't manage to show it in its entirety. Also they are doing building work on the square in front of the Narvik wing which restricted my ability to take good pictures. However the good news is that they put up renders which show how the station will look once the construction work is done.



















This is the Narvik wing again, but looking in the other direction from the previous pics.


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## Filandon (Jun 24, 2009)

The train station looks surprisingly small for a city with the importance of Marseille; the stairs, even might not be too practical, have really beautiful details and because of the view, the ascend is well worthy. Nice pics and city!


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## lezgotolondon (Aug 31, 2010)

Filandon said:


> The train station looks surprisingly small for a city with the importance of Marseille; the stairs, even might not be too practical, have really beautiful details and because of the view, the ascend is well worthy. Nice pics and city!


it's not small. is a big station, maybe it hasn't so many tracks, but is a big station.

Does marseille have other important stations?


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

The station is bigger than these photos show, I haven't put them all up yet.

There is another station in Marseille called La Blancarde, but it's a lot smaller than this one. 

Anyway back to the main façade:










At the top are the arms of twelve cities that railway company of the time (PLM, or Paris-Lyon-Méditerrannée) used to serve when this section was built in 1896.





































In the prolongation of this façade is the 2007 extension of the station (the colonnade to the left in this photo below).



















This is the inside the station.


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## lezgotolondon (Aug 31, 2010)

I liked the new expansion!

It's a nice station.


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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Indeed, station expansion looks great


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

great photos from Marseille....:cheers:


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## Avalanix (Aug 5, 2007)

This city is amazing!


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## sky-eye (Jan 2, 2003)

2 weeks ago i visited Marseille for 1 day and i liked is very much. Very nice pictures, thanks!


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## Chadoh25 (Dec 28, 2007)

Beautiful pictures! Thanks for sharing!


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

^^ Thanks for your comments

here are more views of inside the station, starting with the 1896 main train shed.


Two TGVs











A TER (Train Express Regional) for the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region



















Here you can see the iron and glass roof. As with the façade, there are the arms of the other cities that this station links to incorporated into the design.



















Looking back towards the main entrance.










This part (the curved structure) is the extension from the early 1970s. Originally it looked like a bunch of cylindrical structures piled on top of each other, like dinner plates, and were on the outside. Since the 2007 extension, it has been reduced and now mostly covered. Fortunately, as it was quite ugly and didn't go well with the rest of the station's architecture.










This is the inside of the 2007 extension.










And this is looking back the other way towards the older parts of the station.


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## Nightsky (Sep 16, 2002)

I recognize it, was in Marseille some years ago. It's beautiful, even though it has its share of problems.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

This is in the section next to the 1896 train shed (the exterior of which can be seen on the right of the photo).










And here again in more detail.























































Another TER, this time from the Languedoc Roussillon region



















This is the other side of the station.























































This is the back of the 2007 extension, where the coach station is.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

This neighbourhood is called Belsunce and was created in the 17th century at around the same time that Louis XIV visited Marseille in 1660. It's not far from the railway station shown above.













































































































A sign advertising soap, once a major industry in Marseille. A few factories still exist.































































































































This brick chimney used to be that of an 18th century soap factory. 




























This street is called Rue Thubaneau. The building where the French flag can be seen is where a song entitled "A Song for the Army of the Rhine" was sung for the first time in Marseille in 1792. Volunteers from Marseille then marched to Paris singing this song which became associated with them and their city, hence the name it is now known under, "La Marseillaise". It's now a museum.


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Thanks. In certain ways these images of Marseilles bring to mind Naples.


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

I've neglected this thread for a while but last Sunday I went to Notre Dame de la Garde which is a basilica at the summit of Marseille's highest hill, the result being that it can be seen from quite far away and from many areas of the city.










The above is a photo I took some time ago, however last Sunday was a bit cloudy as you will see from the following pics. The current basilica was built in 1853-'64 in a neo-byzantine style (in honour of Marseille's Greek origins), but there has been a chapel on the site since the 13th century, later fortified in the 16th century under the orders of King Francis I; the current building sits on top of the old fortified base.










Because of the fortifications and its strategic position the basilica was the scene of very heavy fighting in August 1944; this tank ("Jeanne d'Arc") remains there to this day. The basilica is also covered in pock-marks from this event.


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## Linguine (Aug 10, 2009)

very nice updates from Marseille, historic and charming city. :cheers:


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

Here you can see WWII-era pockmarks on the walls.



















As I mentioned earlier the site offers views on the entire city below.





































The small island in the middle is If, where Alexandre Dumas' novel The Count of Monte Cristo partially takes place (the main character escapes from the chateau d'If prison).
































































This is the interior:




























The flag in the middle is that of General de Monsabert whose troops liberated the basilica:










Also there are plenty of ex-votos, here for example are model ships that mariners presented to the basilica as a thanks to Mary after surviving peril at sea:


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## FabriFlorence (Sep 29, 2004)

Amazing photos!
Someone says that Marseille is an ugly city, I don't know way but I don't agree at all!


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

^^People often say this of great cities with magnificent pasts, but which have faded and suffered over the years. I, for one, find Marseilles very interesting, and very appealing.


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## Seishonagon (Feb 14, 2014)

*Art Nouveau architecture in Marseille*

In a few weeks, we are travelling to Marseille and we would love to see some of Marseille's Art Nouveau architecture. but according to what we found on the www, Art Nouveau is rather rare in Marseille. Is there anyone who could give us addresses of known Art Nouveau architecture in Marseille? We would be very happy! Thanks!


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## frank hannover (Oct 5, 2005)

Nice pics from Marseille .

Especially those from Belsunce. Isn't it the area where some street scenes of the movie "French - connection " (1974) was made , scenes where you can see a lot of Arabians and street trader selling something to eat .I like those narrow steets .

Do you also have some pics from Bel -de mai (where Francis Vanverberghe grew up) or some pictures from le quartier Panier ?


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

> Art Nouveau is rather rare in Marseille. Is there anyone who could give us addresses of known Art Nouveau architecture in Marseille?


It is not widespread in Marseille, but there are a few buildings, notably the Prado Cinema (36 Avenue du Prado). Also in my pics earlier in this thread of the Rue de la République there is one building in that style.



> Especially those from Belsunce. Isn't it the area where some street scenes of the movie "French - connection " (1974) was made , scenes where you can see a lot of Arabians and street trader selling something to eat .I like those narrow steets .
> 
> Do you also have some pics from Bel -de mai (where Francis Vanverberghe grew up) or some pictures from le quartier Panier ?


I haven't seen French Connection in a long time - but yes it was filmed on location (French Connection II actually) and a lot of the scenes in it occur around the town centre or not far from it. 

I have neglected this thread for some time but I will revive it shortly, and as you requested it will start with pics of la Belle de Mai and le Panier, probably this weekend.


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## skyscraperus (Dec 25, 2012)

One nice panorama of the old port









By Jérôme Cousin


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## openlyJane (Feb 3, 2010)

Fabulous!


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## Piltup Man (May 21, 2010)

In <a href="http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1530199">my thread on Marseille</a> I have a section on street names (specifically, street signs), particularly when the old name is still showing next to the new one which can create some confusion. It's towards to bottom of the page.


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## diddyD (May 12, 2014)

Very nice pics.


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## Benonie (Dec 21, 2005)

An underrated city, that's for sure. We've been there 14 years ago and I liked the mix of mediterranean and metropolitan atmosphere. Nice pictures!


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

skyscraperus said:


> One nice panorama of the old port
> 
> 
> 
> ...


*Does someone know from where this picture of the old port of Marseille was taken?*

I'm planning to visit Marseille on the way from Italy (Catania & Taormina in Sicily > Rome > Florence > Cinque Terre > Genoa) then Nice > Cannes > Marseille > Lyon > Annecy > Paris. 

I've always heard a few negative things or semi-bad things about Marseille here and there, like how it's the Naples of France, but it's often accompanied by how that association is exactly what makes Marseille a great place to visit, as I suppose that a) some cities on the edge have particularly friendly and unpretentious people and b) I am likely to be impressed since I am not expecting a Paris or Rome. 

I'm very happy to see the statues/relief work on some of Marseille's important buildings and places on how they have strong maritime themes. I've also noticed in Google Maps StreetView that there are amazing views of the basilica hill, the city, the port and the water from various parts of the city. The redevelopment near the old docks looks very cool, especially the two museums by the port and Fort St Jean!


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## Aztecaa13 (Jun 30, 2015)




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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

Great, very nice updates about Marseille :cheers:



skyscraperus said:


> One nice panorama of the old port
> By Jérôme Cousin


Great panoramic view :cheers:


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## AkarrSarren (Mar 2, 2014)




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## christos-greece (Feb 19, 2008)

^^ Nice photos from Marseille


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