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Posts Tagged ‘Fort St Jean’

In Praise of Fort St Jean – and the Future of J1.

Posted in Patrimoine, tagged , , , on December 15, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Before we get to the future of J1, just a few words about Fort St Jean.fortstjean

MUCEM gets much of the attention and deservedly so, but the renovation of Fort St Jean has been equally spectacular considering what a sad run-down old building it was. It would have been easy to turn it into another exhibition venue but instead it was transformed into a fabulous free space for eating and picnicking, for climbing up for views, for sunbathing, for boat-spotting.

Until recently a dilapidated old building

Until recently a dilapidated old building

Now a fabulous open space for enjoying the views

Now a fabulous open space for enjoying the views

The attention to detail has been admirable with its provision of wide steps, large rocks and ledges for impromptu seating as well as polished wooden sun-loungers. The Mediterranean planting scheme is inspired and I love the vegetable gardens supplying the restaurant.

We sat there one summer day watching the armada of 2013 boats sailing past, a popular event, but the old fort absorbed crowds of people with ease. Its military past, as a defensive tower and then a WW2 ammunition store for the occupying troops, is behind it. How wonderful that it is now dedicated to peaceful pursuits with local families able to enjoy the superb position at the mouth of the Vieux Port. Well done to architect Roland Carta who worked with Rudy Riccotti to effect this transformation and landscape architects APS from Valence.

Meanwhile, along the seafront at J1, there is a debate as to what will happen to the superb hangar once the year of culture is over.  To my astonishment I read that there is a proposal to turn it into a casino…or to site a casino next to MUCEM.  http://www.laprovence.com/article/actualites/2668151/poker-menteur-autour-du-casino-de-marseille.html  I always thought people in casinos sat in darkened and curtained rooms (or is that just in films?) – they don’t need a prime sea-view – do they?

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Meandering around Magnificent MUCEM

Posted in Art, Patrimoine, tagged , , , on June 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Architects and engineers used innovative techniques to construct the passerelles

Architects and engineers used innovative techniques to construct the passerelles

Yesterday I visited the new MUCEM building along with the renovated Fort St Jean and came away hugely impressed with the whole complex: firstly, what a site!  (more…)

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MP2013 – on to the Second Quarter

Posted in Art, Event, Patrimoine, tagged , , , , on March 30, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Thank goodness we can look forward to more of the new buildings being ready for the Year of Culture.  MUCEM will be inaugurated by President Holland on June 4th and will open its doors to the public on June 7th.  It will be free access for the public on June 7th, 8th and 9th.mucem-marseille-musee-ricciotti The fascinating documentary on France 3 on Wednesday evening went some way to explaining the complexity of the building – the two walkways which link MUCEM to the Fort St Jean and then across to the Esplanade de la Tourette had to be made from innovative strengthened concrete to withstand the pressures.  I don’t think I’ll be the first across!

Inside MUCEM, thousands of exhibits, from national museums, will illustrate the theme of Mediterranean civilisation.  Architect Rudy Ricciotti has added the distinctive concrete ‘lace’ walls, so reminiscent of eastern Mediterranean design.  I would imagine the sun shining through these will make the most amazingly pretty patterns.  There will also be a ‘restaurant panoramique’ managed by Gérard Passédat of Le Petit Nice.

copyright:golem

copyright:golem

So, walking bravely across the passerelle, visitors will come to the renovated Fort St Jean which was constructed by Louis XIV with its cannons directed, not out to sea to shoot at pirates, but inwards on the uppity population of Marseille.  This area will be a 15000 sq m garden which is currently being landscaped and planted up.  Good for picnics!  The fort itself will have a display on its history and will house temporary expos.

On the other side of MUCEM will be the Villa Mediterranée which opens on 15th June.

It is a strange looking building but apparently architect Stefano Boeri wanted to bring the sea rightvilla-mediterranee-marseille-2013 in at the ground floor. So the top part which projects out will have a massive exhibition space above the 2000m2 bassin, and below water will be an agora with an amphitheatre.  It will be free to go in and wander around but 7€ for exhibitions.  The purpose of the centre is to provide a place of contact for all Mediterranean countries.  There will be all manner of conferences and think-tanks.  They will also place an emphasis on the young people of the region.  Indeed the first exhibition is ‘2031 Mediterranee Nos Futurs!’  The 70m€ tab has been picked up by PACA.

Much as I am looking forward to seeing all these new buildings, I must say that I can’t wait for the ‘Transhumance‘ to happen. Again I have to thank the documentary on Wednesday for explaining how all these sheep, horses, goats and so on will be rounded up and herded through Provence and right into Marseille. It is utterly and splendidly bonkers.  Horses will be coming from Italy and Morocco to join in, and they will be led by a wonderful woman who stands on a black horse in a long ball-gown.  TransHumance-2

The programme showed her and her partner riding their horses through Gare St Charles to the astonishment of people waiting around for their trains.

There will be animals converging on Marseille from 3 different starting points across Provence, and they will meet up at the Vieux Port on Sunday 9th June.  This I must see!

Of course it has been sad that all the buildings weren’t ready on January 1st; and I do think the communications have been bewildering.

But so far so interesting.  The MP2013 theme is focusing on celebrating the whole Mediterranean, rather than simply Provence, which would have been the obvious thing to do; and the individual activities, and the new buildings, are very creative and stimulating. It will leave an enormous legacy which should have a powerful regenerative effect on the city.

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An Explosive Situation in Marseille – 2

Posted in Miscellaneous, tagged , , on January 14, 2012| 1 Comment »

Things are much clearer now on the detonation of the WW2 bomb in Marseille.  The following link has all the details plus a map of the area to be evacuated:

http://www.paca.pref.gouv.fr/Actualites/Bombe-a-Marseille-evacuation-et-confinement-preventifs-de-la-population

  • From 07:00 Wednesday 18th January, 4,300 people living near the Vieux Port will have to leave their homes or work-places – there are two refuges provided.
  • From 09:00 no-one can enter this zone
  • From 09:00, people living in the wider ‘zone de protection’ will need to stay indoors and close shutters against any flying glass
  • The tunnels will only be open to traffic crossing the town – the exits into the town centre will be closed from 07:00
  • All traffic will be halted, both on the land and at sea – the 4 incoming ferries will be rerouted

The 250kg bomb is situated on the sea-side of the Fort St Jean – along the promenade you can see in the photo.  It is thought to be American, dropped during the bombardment in 1943. However the authorities can’t exclude the fact that it is Italian left over from fighting on 21 June 1940.  The démineurs are used to dealing with this type of bomb but fear that it has been damaged in which case it will have to be towed 40m out to sea.  Then the plongeurs-démineurs of the Marine nationale will have to take over. They have hired a large crane and are currently training on its use.  This must be an incredibly difficult situation for them to deal with – especially so close to a big city.  Next Wednesday is not a day to visit Marseille!

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