The Palais Longchamp () is a monument in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille, France. It houses both the Musée des beaux-arts and the Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Marseille. The surrounding Longchamp Park (French: ''Parc Longchamp'') is listed by the

French Ministry of Culture The Ministry of Culture () is the ministry (government department), ministry of the Government of France in charge of List of museums in France, national museums and the . Its goal is to maintain the French identity through the promotion and pro ...

as one of the

Notable Gardens of France The Remarkable Gardens of France is intended to be a list and description, by region, of the more than three hundred gardens classified as ''"Jardins remarquables"'' by the Ministry of Culture (France), Ministry of Culture and the Comi ...

History

The Palais Longchamp was created to celebrate the construction of the Canal de Marseille, which was built to bring water from the river Durance to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

. Although the foundation stone was laid by the Duke of Orleans on 15 November 1839, the building took 30 years to complete, partly because of the enormous expense and partly because of difficulties with local regulations. Designed by the architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu, the building was centered on the structure and elaborate fountain known as the ''château d'eau'' ("water tower").

Description

Marseille Palais Longchamp At Night JD 22052007

The Palais Longchamp has three main parts: * The ''château d'eau'' * The east wing, which houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts * The west wing, which houses the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle

Park

Longchamp Park was opened in 1869, at the same time as the palace; in addition, the art and natural-history collections, which had been housed elsewhere, moved into the palace at this time. The park also contained a zoo, which was run by the city from 1898 until 1987, when, because of public disaffection with traditional zoos, it was closed. At the summit of the fountain are sculptures of four large bulls and three women—a central figure representing the Durance flanked by one who represents grapes and one who represents wheat and fertility. Behind the women, within the central structure of the palace, is a manmade stone grotto decorated with carved

stalactites A stalactite (, ; , ) is a mineral formation that hangs from the ceiling of caves, hot springs, or man-made structures such as bridges and mines. Any material that is soluble and that can be deposited as a colloid, or is in suspension, or is ca ...

and

nymphs A nymph (; ; sometimes spelled nymphe) is a minor female nature deity in ancient Greek folklore. Distinct from other Greek goddesses, nymphs are generally regarded as personifications of nature; they are typically tied to a specific place, land ...

. From beneath the three women and from the bulls, water flows into a secondary basin, and then into an artificial pond. The water drains out of the pond into underground pipes, from which it emerges in a waterfall-like structure, and in twelve ornate bronze fountains lined alongside it, flowing into a second, larger pond. The central feature of the garden behind the palace is a classic garden ''à la française'', which is known as the ''Jardin du plateau''. The garden also includes an

English landscape garden The English landscape garden, also called English landscape park or simply the English garden (, , , , ), is a style of "landscape" garden which emerged in England in the early 18th century, and spread across Europe, replacing the more formal ...

, with winding alleys and many notable trees, including a 150-year-old plane tree and an

oak An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

and a Siberian elm that are both 120 years old. The area that was occupied by the 19th-century zoo still contains many of its picturesque buildings in fantastic styles, including oriental pavilions for the

giraffe The giraffe is a large Fauna of Africa, African even-toed ungulate, hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa.'' It is the Largest mammals#Even-toed Ungulates (Artiodactyla), tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on ...

and

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

, cages ornamented with Turkish tiles, and bear cages and seal dens decorated with ''rocaille'', or rock-work.

In popular culture

The music video of

Soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

's single, "Ils Nous Connaissent Pas" was filmed at Palais Longchamp in 2014.

Gallery

File:Marseille Palais Longchamp 16 20061231.jpg, ''Jardin du plateau'', Longchamp Park File:Feançois Gilbert - Griffon - Palais longchamp.jpg, François Gilbert sculpture File:Marseille Palais Longchamp 18 20061231.jpg, Former giraffe pavilion in the Parc Longchamp File:Marseille Palais Longchamp Wasserfall JD25032007.jpg, The fountain's secondary basin and middle balcony above the first pond File:Marseille - Palais Lonchamps 1890-1900.jpg, Longchamp around 1900 File:Marseille Palais Longchamp schraeg JD25032007.jpg, The ''château d'eau'' viewed from the middle balconies, looking toward the first pond and secondary basin File:Palais Longchamp avec le front de l'eau.jpg, Palais Longchamp from the lower pool

Sources and citations