Château Borély

The Château Borély is a chateau in the southern part of Marseille. The chateau was built in the eighteenth century for Louis Borély (1692-1768), a rich merchant of Marseille. It was donated to the city in the nineteenth century. For several years it hosted the archaeological museum. The chateau is located in the current Parc Borély.

Closed to the public, restored, then reopened in 2013, Château Borély has a rich cultural history. The many owners of the bastide have allowed him, over the centuries, to acquire a very large cultural background. Indeed, the castle has seen many lovers of art, fashion, or reading. Little by little, the place was enriched with knowledge and artistic and cultural passion.

The cultural destination of the place is therefore ancient. After a period during which the place, which became the property of the City, hosted the collections of Egyptian art in particular, then briefly the exhibitions of the Regards de Provence Foundation, Château Borély was closed to the public in 2003. The site underwent extensive renovation and development work to reopen in 2013 on the occasion of the European Capital of Culture Year. The Château now houses the Museum of Decorative Arts, Earthenware and Fashion. Today, the bastide is classified as a historical monument.

The central part of the estate of 54 hectares of origin is transformed into a racecourse and then into a park (public garden) in 1864. For years, everything has been designed to make visitors feel the guests of honor of the place. We still find today, the racecourse with in its center a golf course and a large park, the Borely Park. This vast park of 18 hectares around the Castle offers the visitor, since the end of the nineteenth century, the enchantment of a very orderly “French style” garden, with straight alleys and pools of water and a landscaped park called à l’anglaise with a more wild and natural look around an inland lake. Rose garden, waterfall, botanical garden, children’s games decorate this park.

References:

• Marseille Tourisme

Address

Avenue Clot Bey 132, Marseille, France

Details

Founded: 1767-1778
Category: Palaces, manors and town halls in France