Marseille History Museum

Marseille, France

The Marseille History Museum is the local historical and archaeological museum opened in 1983. It became soon one of the most significant museums for urban history in France, dedicated to exhibiting the major archaeological finds discovered after the site was excavated in 1967; at the same time the property was redeveloped commercially and the Centre Bourse shopping arcade constructed. The museum building is entered from within the centre, and opens out onto the 'Jardin des Vestiges', an outdoor garden containing the stabilised archaeological remains; it includes classical ramparts, port buildings, and a necropolis.

The construction of the Center Bourse was undertaken in 1967 on land in the district behind the Bourse, the old buildings of which had been destroyed from 1912 to 1937 and which had been left as they were. During the earthworks for the construction of the shopping center, many remains of Greek, Roman and medieval ages were discovered. Their importance was then a surprise although the existence of the famous wall of Crinas could suggest the discovery of other remains. Gérin Ricard specifies in the book Promenades archeologique published in 1925 that the Greek origin of this wall had been supported by members of the Archaeological Commission as early as 1916.

The creation of a Marseilles history museum therefore seems essential. The archaeologist and anthropologist Alain Nicolas participates in its foundation. It was opened in 1983. Some of the discoveries are kept on site, the ancient port has been converted into the Jardin des Vestiges. The museum then includes a temporary exhibition hall for events on various themes relating to the history of Marseille and a permanent exhibition hall which highlights the various remains discovered.

Highlights

Installed in the Center Bourse, near the Old Port, the Marseille History Museum houses the site of the Jardin des Vestiges, a permanent exhibition of 3,500 m2, a temporary exhibition space, a documentation center and an auditorium, making it the most important urban history museum in France. The museum presently contains permanent displays exhibiting the history of Marseille up to the 18th century. Highlights include:

some of the finds from the site itself, including, most famously, the hull of a ship of the 2nd century (claimed to be the best preserved vessel of this period in the world);the prehistory of the region round the later city, the Ligures and the Phocaeans, and the development through the Ancient Greek and Roman periods of the port of Massilia;early Christianity (4th-6th centuries);medieval potters' workshops and the first French manufacture of faience (13th century);the redevelopment of the city under Louis XIV and the construction of the forts of Saint-Jean and Saint-Nicolas;the architecture and building works of the architect, sculptor and painter Pierre Puget;the Great Plague of 1720.

Further building works are planned which, when completed, will assure permanent exhibitions of Marseille's history for the 19th and 20th centuries.

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Details

Founded: 1983
Category: Museums in France

Rating

4.4/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Raquel Donoso (2 months ago)
Very nice museum but they start asking you to leave half an hour before the closing time
Carlo D. Calzolari (3 months ago)
This Museum is the place where every tourist should start their exploration of Marseille. Before going, I’d skimmed through previous reviews on google, one of which caught my eye: a visitor wrote the museum had exceeded their expectations. I CAN’T AGREE MORE: it’s a very very informative museum likely to change one’s general perception of the town, giving a powerful in-depth insight into its rich long history. Panels are in French, English, and Italian It’s free for everyone and so is the audioguide, which I suggest using.
Irina Andreea Miron (4 months ago)
Awesome!! Really cool museum about the history of Marseille! The audio guides were really helpful! I also loved the part of The little prince
Oleg Kolosov (5 months ago)
This is an outstanding history museum with a great entertainment and educational value. Definitely take advantage of the excellent audio guide. The museum is laid out chronologically in the setting of an archeological location of a roman port. It guides through the history of Marseille from prehistory through today. The physical displays are supported by really good multimedia content, which allows you to deep dive on specific topics. The displays are relevant, interesting, clearly marked (French only unfortunately). The highlight was the audio guide. It covered the thematic areas giving the overview and noting the key artifacts. It was sufficiently in-depth giving great explanations of each period, the historical context of the artifacts, and supporting stories. Very rich content presented in an accessible but not dumbed-down manner. Great job, museum! Overall, it is definitely among the best city history museums. Highly recommend. Note, if visiting on the day the mall is closed, go through the gatehouse on the archeological side. The signs are misleading.
Patrick Osborne (17 months ago)
What an amazing place , free music concerts good gardens and architecture , you could easily spend a whole day here ! We got ice creams down by the quay at lunch time then went back up for a concert .
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