aixcentric

It must have been so exciting in 1967 when, excavating the site for the new centre commercial at the Bourse, they started turning up all manner of Greek and Roman remains, including large pieces of boats.  The site was on the creek which came up from today’s Vieux Port and, in Antiquity, had been lined with warehouses, boatyards and workshops.

Some of the foundations and walls have, since then, been on view in the Jardin de Vestiges next to the centre commercial and a small museum displayed some of the finds. But it was only attracting 35,000 visitors a year and could have closed down.

But, thanks to 34m€ of funding from MP2013,  the whole area has had a major overhaul and last week reopened as France’s largest history museum and one of the largest in Europe.

The new Musée d’Histoire de Marseille is fascinating.

It has two Greek and four Roman boats on show – they had previously been in store through lack of space.  ‘Boats’ is being rather kind.  They are actually lots of planks of wood but models show us what they would have looked like: anyway it is impressive to be able to see these remnants of ships that busily carried raw materials into Marseille and crossed the seas with their exports.  The Greek remains date from the 6th century BC:  incredible.  Nearby amphorae would have been filled with oil and wine and there are cases of pottery and glass that the early inhabitants of Marseille would have had on their tables.

The museum is divided into 13 sections, taking us through 2,600 years of history. There are maps, large-scale models to show us what the town would have looked like, and 3D animations of human guides.

Death was kept firmly outside the walls of the settlement.  The museum has several tombs with their original inhabitants on view, and very sadly the remains of tiny children, often interred in amphorae.

Christianity came early to Marseille which was growing in importance as a busy port.  Even the fall of the Roman Empire and the arrival of the Visigoths did little to impede its growth.  Trading took place far around the Mediterranean and the town was later involved in the Crusades.

One unexpected item from daily life in the 13th century is the statue of these two fellows, an early advertisement outside one of the many bathing houses which were also ‘lieus de tolerance’.

Explanatory placards for exhibits are in French, but the beginning of each of the 13 themed sections has a version in English.  You can also get a comprehensive book in English with your ticket.

I hadn’t really thought about this but in fact there is nothing much left of antique or medieval Marseille except for the Abbaye St-Victor. With so much activity being based around the Vieux Port, buildings including churches were repeatedly demolished and replaced.  So it is so valuable to have these exhibits with supporting materials in the new museum.

It wasn’t until the arrival of the Louis XIV the Sun King in 1660 that buildings  went up that we can still see today – fort St Nicolas and fort St Jean were constructed with cannons to protect the port but also turned to the city to quell any rebellious instincts.  The Hotel de Ville was built on the quay and, in the Panier, the Charité to house the poor.  The museum has details on this period of construction.

But still 350 years to go…..I read that there are 4000 objects on view  in the galleries and by this point it certainly felt like it!

These cherubs, along with some beautiful statues and sculptures, were in the Church of St Martin. One of the city’s oldest churches, it had been rebuilt in the 12th century in Gothic style…but astonishingly was demolished in 1884 to build rue Colbert.

How lucky we are that at least these works were kept and are now on display.

The collection finally comes up to date with posters, films and ephemera embracing the transbordeur bridge, the Occupation, Pagnol, the role of women in 20th century, soap production, the importance of shipping…  After two hours of local history, exhaustion was setting in, mentally and physically too.  I shot through the 20th century at a gallop.

But it really is a wonderful museum which carefully illustrates the metamorphosis of this fascinating city.  The architect Roland Carta also worked on MUCEM which, as he points out, is at the other end of the old Roman road that now links these two modern buildings.  In an interview he said that working in the basement area of the centre commercial  was a big challenge as there were constraints in ceiling heights, space and light – and the great number of objects to be displayed.  They have done a magnificent job.  I will certainly revisit it and concentrate on different sections.

I think children would love it too – and they are well catered for with cool little play areas where they can either colour or play Roman games or stamp patterns.  There is also a well-stocked book shop with a good range of Provencal souvenirs. It’s open 10-18:00hrs Tuesday-Saturday and costs just 5€. 

You can either exit through the jardin de Vestiges and walk in the steps of the first inhabitants of Marseille or just step into the Bourse shopping centre to sample some of Marseille’s 21st century trading activities – and a well-deserved coffee.  Highly recommended.