PASTRÉ PARK, a magnificent countryside at the gateway to the Calanques!

Between the Pointe Rouge and the Grotte Rolland, the Pastré park extends over 120 hectares, up to the hills of Marseilleveyre.

Better known as the "Pastré Campaign", it is associated with the memory of the people of Marseille, to the Pastré family who constituted the between 1836 and 1853.

Until the arrival of the Canal de Marseille, thanks to the constant efforts of the owners to capture the water, a few meadows and rare vegetable gardens extend over the lower part, as well as vines, cereals and fruit trees (almond, fig, apricot trees).

But the natural vegetation, in addition to the scrubland that covers the hillsides, is essentially made up of Aleppo pines, holm oaks, of laurel and of that variety of juniper called "Mourven" in Provençal. According to legend, the most famous specimen, today disappeared, sheltered the loves of Bonaparte and Désirée Clary.

With the "water revolution", the estate took on the appearance of an English-style park, decorated with statues and punctuated by small artificial lakes on which people liked to canoe among ducks and swans. Little by little, crops gave way to pleasure gardens and the vegetation was enriched with introduced species (umbrella pines, yuccas, bamboos, etc.). Ostriches are even bred there!

At the same time, three prestigious residences were built between 1845 and 1865.

The most prestigious, the Château Pastré, is an elegant brick and stone construction.

Château Estrangin, whose style, inspired by the bourgeois residences of northern France, contrasts with the elegance and warm sensuality of Château Pastré, is now occupied by an airy centre of the Town Hall of the 4th sector.

As for Château Sanderval, more austere, it has remained private property.

For a century, the estate was to experience the splendour of social and cultural life. Countess Lily Pastré lived in the "Villa Provençale", a magnificent eighteenth-century bastide now reserved for the accommodation of distinguished guests and official receptions of the Town Hall.

Pastré became a high place of cultural life and a refuge for many artists during the period of the Occupation. Between 1966 and 1987, the City bought almost all of the "Pastré Countryside", the Château Sanderval, the bastide Clary, bordering the estate, and the Alvarez de Toledo property, which was landlocked.

To those who know how to observe and listen to the stories of the stones, the bastides tell the story of one hundred and fifty years of the history of Marseille, through the evocation of the five generations of the Pastré family who shaped the estate.

The Pastré countryside has now become a huge public park

This site is one of the most beautiful jewels of the municipal heritage. Its central alley stretches for more than 900 metres. Two small lakes, a canal, playgrounds and playgrounds, hiking trails seduce its many users.

The upper part of the place retains its wild character and opens onto the hills of Marseilleveyre and the discovery of the Calanques. The entire wooded area of the park is part of the Calanques classified site and is a gateway for hiking enthusiasts.

In the lower part, a water garden has been created. The aim of this development is to offer the public a water garden with a reminder of the importance of the Canal de Marseille, created 100 years ago and which has irrigated all the large properties in the municipality. The developments are intended to have no apparent volume in order to clear the view of the bay of Marseille. All the basins and canals are fed by recycled water.

There are 3 areas: the basins and meadows, the Provençal mall which allows a walk in the shade and calm, an open-air amphitheatre.

To complete this garden, the Société des Eaux de Marseille has created a monumental fountain symbolising the Alps where the waters of the Durance are born, a real starting point for the water circuit, designed by the architect Marc Dossetti.

Timetables

November, December, January, February: 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
March, April, September, October: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May, June, July, August: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.