Information about the French resort of Marseille
Rating: 7,6/10 (310 votes)  TourismMarseille is a unique French city that combines the diverse cultural life of Paris and the warmth of the resorts of the French Riviera. Regardless of the season, there is always something to do here: many music, theater, film festivals take place in Marseille. The number of museums, sports grounds and other places of mass recreation can be listed for a very, very long time. As for the sights, here too Marseille occupies a leading position in France. The centuries-old history of the city has preserved several dozen historical monuments of world significance, which provides Marseille with a stable annual tourist influx. AttractionsOddly enough, many tourists come to Marseille, begin sightseeing of local attractions outside the city. The famous Chateau d'If, located on the island of the same name, one nautical mile from the bay of Marseille, breaks all attendance records. The popularity of this place does not stop with the life of the Count of Monte Cristo, created by Alexandre Dumas. Thanks to the book and many films, one of the cells of the former prison began to be named in honor of Dantes, its visit costs tourists a symbolic amount, the situation here is identical to the description from the book. In addition, anyone can buy a lot of souvenirs on the island related to both the Chateau d'If and Dumas' novel.  Other attractions of Marseille are also connected with the sea. For example, Fort Saint Jean and Fort Saint Nicholas are officially symbols of the historical part of Marseille. Both forts have a similar fate, since they were built in the same period, in the 17th century, on the personal initiative of Louis XIV. For a long time, the forts were closed to visitors, as they were actively used as a bridgehead for exercises by the French army, and the fort of Saint Nicholas is still partially used by the French Ministry of Defense. The city residents rightly consider the main temple of Marseille to be the Basilica Notre Dame de la Garde. Despite the deliberately medieval style, this architectural monument was built in the 19th century. In fact, the basilica is two churches that have performed different functions since their founding. If the upper church has always been the main place of Marseille's daily services, then the lower temple is darker and less consecrated, since it immediately began to be used as a burial vault for the honorary inhabitants of the city. Cathedral of Sainte-Marie-Major - a magnificent shrine and the oldest of the temples of Marseille ... The cathedral received its status in connection with the centuries-old history of this place. The temple that we see today is just a rebuilding of the middle of the 19th century, before that there were several churches and cathedrals, the very first of them was built in the 7th century. The current building of the cathedral is a majestic structure of white marble interspersed with green. The overall architectural style of the cathedral can be defined as eclectic.  The grandiose architectural ensemble of Longchamp Palace annually attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world. In most tourist guides, the palace is directly called one of the symbols of old Marseille after the forts and the Chateau d'If. Initially, the palace was supposed to be the answer to Versailles, but the authors of the project did not have enough money to finally embody all the ideas. Today, the premises of the palace, built in 1870, are home to two more landmarks of Marseille - the Museum of Natural History and the Museum of Fine Arts. From the History Museum of Marseille, all excursions organized for foreign tourists in the city often begin. The exhibition halls reflect all the key eras in the history of the port city: from ancient buildings to the 19th century. The most modern museum in Marseille is Fashion Museum - it simply could not help but appear in one of the most fashionable French cities. The total number of exhibits is about 50 thousand - here are samples of clothes and accessories from the most venerable designers and couturiers in France, starting from the 70s of the last century. We also recommend reading Information about Rouen in France Topic: Information about the French resort of Marseille. |
