Marseille - Culture

There is a rich cultural history - Marseilles is one of the most important cultural centres on the European coast of the Mediterranean. There are many museums and the "Marseillais" are devoted to their opera house, one of the most important in France, as well as to the Roland Petit National Ballet. And a bit of arithmetic shows that Marseilles also has the largest number of theatres per inhabitant. Apart from these permanent cultural fixtures, the town organises numerous festivals and concerts, and is careful to keep its own special ethnic cultures going, the inheritance of centuries of population mixing.

      On the sporting side, Marseilles is without a shadow of doubt the most "football mad" town in France; the World Cup games there during France '98 will get a special welcome. But even before then, the world's attention will focus on the city when the draw for the final round groupings is made on 4 December (see below). The town will host seven of the 64 World Cup matches at the Stade Vélodrome, including one of the semi-finals; for the occasion, Marseilles has worked out a festival plan which will involve all its citizens in a welcoming programme. The 1998 World Cup will see France get a worthy national stadium at last ­ Le Stade de France in Saint-Denis (capacity 80,000). But Marseilles too will benefit and from 1998 on will have a stadium to match the town's passion for the game.

      Le Stade Vélodrome is being entirely rebuilt and in a few months will be one of the finest grounds in Europe. The stands and all the seating will be restructured, with 32 km of terracing being built. The floodlights, public address systems and video installations will be brought up to World Cup standard, the changing rooms will be refurbished and a permanent media

Come and visit Marseilles, discover the narrow hilly passage-ways of the Panier quarter, the fisherman arriving with their catch in the Vieux port, the scents and sights of the markets and take a step back in time by visiting the magnificent monuments of the Phocean city.
 centre will be set up. When the changes are completed early in 1998, le Stade Vélodrome will be totally up to date and accommodate 60,000 spectators, all seated. It will be here that FIFA and the CFO will hold the ceremony for the group draw on Thursday, 4 December 1997. As part of the programme there will be a match between a selected European team and one representing "The Rest of the World". A great occasion is coming up at the end of the year. Within the beautiful Montredon Park you can find one of the most magnificent country château : The Château Pastré, a manor-house dating from the XIXth century, designd by Jean Claude Danjoy. The chateau was built for Eugène Pastré (1806 - 1868) a merchant and shipowbner from Marseilles. The Museum opened in May 1995 and exhibits more than 1500 works of porcelain from Marseilles and the surrounding area, which were previously spread across a number of museums in Marseilles. In 1951 they were assembled in the Musée Cantini but then stored.The exhibits are constantly being added to by new donations to the museum (the collection of XVIIIth century works belonging to Pierre et Lison Jourdan Barry were offered to the City in March 1995), and purchases made by the City of MarseillesFrench and European exhibits covering the period from the neolithic to the present day. Of course the porcelain and earthenware from Marseilles and Moustiers take pride of place in the museum, but you can also find other types of art-works including design exhibits

Found in the magnificant setting of the Palais Longchamp, the museum will take you on a trip through the evolution of our planet using exhibits from the animal kingdom, the vegetable or aquatic species.
Numerous exhibition rooms (Safari museum, Provence, Pre-history, aquariums etc...) are laid out according to subjects.

Palais Longchamp

The centre of town is a maze of narrow streets and passages but beyond, the large avenues of the city can be found ( Le Prado and the 2nd Prado - The famous Canebière - the Bd Michelet ) and the modern buildings. (Le Grand Pavois 1973 - Le Méditerranée 1970-Le Brasilia 1960 )
Built in 1952 by the architect Le Corbusier the "cité Radieuse" , located on the Bd Michelet was a modern architectural experiment.
337 apartments, 28 different types, the complex houses between 1200 -1500 residents. With its 6 interior roads and duplex apartments on two floors the building known locally as the "Maison du fada" (House of fools) is a true city within the city.
    There are a number of important Roman remains in Marseilles, one of the best examples can be seen at the Musée d’histoire de Marseille and its Jardin d e Vestiges
Among the other most well-known and interesting monuments:

• La Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde (The Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde) and the official server
• L'hôtel de ville (XVIIe Siècle)
• L’abbaye de Saint Victor (The Saint Victor Abbey)
• La Vieille Charité(The Vieille Charité Museum)
• La Maison Diamantée.( XVIth century)
• Le Palais du Pharo
• L'église Saint Laurent (St Laurent's Church) (XIIth century).
• La Cathédrale de la Major. (The Cathedral of the Major)(XIXth century).
• L'église des Chartreux. (XVIIth century)

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