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Marseille

Encyclopedia : M : MA : MAR : Marseille

"Marseilles" redirects here. There is also Marseilles, Illinois.
"Massilia" redirects here. There is also a ship with this name; see The Vichy 80.

Marseille (English alternative spelling Marseilles) (pronounced /maʀsɛj/ in standard French, /mɑxˈsɛjɐ/ in local Marseille accent) (Provençal: Marsiho or Marselha, both pronounced /maɾˈsijɐ/) is the second largest city in France and the third metropolitan area, with 1,516,340 inhabitants at the 1999 census. Located in the former province of Provence and on the Mediterranean Sea, it is France's largest commercial port.

Marseille is the capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région, as well as the préfecture (capital) of the Bouches-du-Rhône département.

Contents

History

Ancient

Marseille was founded in 600 B.C. by Greeks[link] from Phocaea as a trading port under the name Μασσαλία (Massalia; see also List of traditional Greek place names). Facing an opposing alliance of the Etruscans, Carthage and the Celts, the Greek colony allied itself with the expanding Roman Republic for protection. The association with the expanding Roman market saw the city thrive by acting as a link between the interior of Gaul, hungry for Roman goods and wine (of which Massilia was steadily exporting by 500 B.C.) Hugh Johnson, Vintage: The Story of Wine pg 40. Simon and Schuster 1989 , and Rome's insatiable slave markets. Under this arrangement the city maintained its independence until the rise of Julius Caesar, when it joined the losing side in civil war, and lost its independence. It was the site of a siege and naval battle. During the Roman times, it was called Massilia.

It was the home port of Pytheas.

Medieval

From the 5th to the 8th century, Marseille faced wars, barbarian invasions, pillages and epidemics which led to its impoverishment and depopulation. During the 11th century the city revived economically and received a religious focus (the 1st "abbé" is elected in the abbey of St Victor).

Modern

A view onto the Old Port.
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A view onto the Old Port.

The Fort Saint Nicolas, overlooking the harbour on the left bank.
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The Fort Saint Nicolas, overlooking the harbour on the left bank.

In 1934 Alexander I of Yugoslavia arrived at the port to meet with the French foreign minister Louis Barthou. He was assassinated there by Vlada Georgieff.

Climate

Mean annual temperature: 15 °C
Average temperature in January: 7 °C
Average temperature in July: 23 °C
Average annual precipitation: 550 mm

Economy

Marseille's harbor is the biggest in France and one of the most important of the Mediterranean Sea.

Administration

Marseille is divided into 16 municipal arrondissements, which are themselves divided into quartiers (111 in total). The arrondissements are regrouped in pairs into sectors, and 8 sectors have a council and a town hall (like the arrondissements in Paris and in Lyon).

The municipal elections are carried out by sector. Each sector elects its councillors (303 in total), one third of which are municipal councillors.

Number of councilors elected by sector:
Sector 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total
Sector councilors 22 16 22 30 30 26 32 24 202
Municipal councilors 11 8 12 13 15 13 16 12 100
Total number of elected officials 33 24 33 42 45 39 48 36 303

The last mayors of Marseille :

Vieux port in Marseille
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Vieux port in Marseille

The Sector Mayors :

The cantons of Marseille :

Marseille holds 25 of the 58 seats at the general council of the Bouches-du-Rhône. Since the last election, these 25 cantons are held by the following councilors:

Demographics

The vast majority of the Marsellaise are descendants of the waves of immigrants that arrived at the port in the early 19th century. Among the ethnic groups of Marseillaise are Armenians, Spaniards, Italians, Greeks, Arabs, Jews, Russians and North Africans. Approximately 25 per cent of Marseille’s population is of North African origin, mostly Algerian, and Tunisian. The Jewish community is also the third largest in Europe.

Culture

Madonna and Child statue on the Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde.
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Madonna and Child statue on the Basilique Notre Dame de la Garde.

The French national anthem "La Marseillaise" is named for the troops from Marseille.

The most widely circulated tarot deck comes from Marseille; it is called the Tarot de Marseille, and was used to play the local variant of tarocchi before it became used in cartomancy.

Music

Movies set in Marseille

Marseille has been the setting of films, both Hollywood and local French films. This is a list of films set in Marseille in alphabetical order.

Sights

Among the notable tourist attractions of Marseille are:

Transportation

Marseille is served by its own metro train system consisting of 2 lines represented by orange and blue. Line 1 (blue) between Catellane and La Rose opened in 1977 and Line 2 (orange) between Sainte-Marguerite/Dromel and Bougainville opened between 1984 and 1987. An extension to Line 1 from Castellane to La Timone was completed in 1992 and a further extension from La Timone up to La Fourragère is under construction.

An extensive bus network serves the city and suburbs of Marseille.

The city is served by an international airport, Aéroport de Marseille Provence, located in Marignane as well as a centenary railway station, Saint-Charles.

Sports

The city's football club is Olympique de Marseille, UEFA Champions League winner in 1993 but tainted by the 1990s match fixing scandal by then-owner Bernard Tapie.

Births and deaths in Marseille

Marseille was the birthplace of:

The following personalities died in Marseille:

See also

Footnotes

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
[Multimap] or [GlobalGuide]
  • * Aerial image from [TerraServer]
  • * Satellite image from [WikiMapia] or [Google Maps]
  • [Street map of Marseille]
  • [Marseille] City Guide

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