THE LONGCHAMP PALACE

The Palais Longchamps is a magnificent building, built between 1862 and 1869 by the architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu, at the request of the City of Marseille, to celebrate the arrival of the waters of the Durance in town via the Canal de Marseille.

Water tower, surrounded by a garden and waterfalls, the Palais Longchamp is a real "Hymn to water". The glory of water in Durance is marked by the young woman in the center and her companions symbolize fertility: wheat and vines. Behind chubby children sheaves of wheat and bunches of grapes, the bas-reliefs of the triton scene are reminiscent of the Baroque.

The very rich decoration of the building evokes the abundance and fertility brought by the waters of the canal. Sculpture plays a leading role. The famous animal sculptor Antoine Louis Barye made the lions and tigers of the entrance. The monumental fountain in the center of the colonnade is the work of Jules Cavelier. The interior décor of the museums is also remarkable. The staircase of honor of the Museum of Fine Arts is decorated with the two large paintings commissioned in 1867 from Puvis de Chavannes (Marseille, Greek Colony and Marseille, Porte de l'orient). The museum has preserved with the Provence room painted by Raphaël Ponson, a very beautiful example of ancient museography.

Under its circular colonnade, the Palace houses two museums to discover absolutely: the Museum of Fine Arts in its left wing, and the Museum of Natural History in its right wing.

Stroll through the gardens of the Palace that house the Marseille Observatory.

Open on sunday