Le Panier: its patrimony, its rehabilitation and the new city

Résumé du document

Marseille is an old city dating from Greek Antiquity when it was called Massilia and was a harbor on the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks to trade and its location between the Eastern and the Western world Marseille has become an important place. Influenced by many civilizations, the City has been built, destroyed and rebuilt through the centuries. This juxtaposition of styles and types of architecture is particularly visible in the center of Marseille. Buildings dating from the Haussmann time stand alongside buildings from the late sixties, like Belsunce also called the "center bourse", highlighting the transformation in the architecture that characterizes Marseille. At the end of the twentieth century, "Le Panier" an old part of the historic city was restored. Inhabited by many immigrants, this quarter was deserted by the wealthiest population and became an unsanitary place.

Extraits

[...] Some of these shops were deserted and their window was in bad condition. Secondly, the painting used to cover the wall is a coat made by the melting of lime and sand. It is a very widespread material which is used all around the Mediterranean world but has disappeared from the rest of the city. Less and less exploited, this technique is more expensive. Apart from the cost, this way of recovering the wall had a few objectives. The first one is to protect the brick or the rocks which constituted the structure of the building from the particularly aggressive salt air. [...]

[...] He began to work as wood sculptor on pieces aimed to decorate ships. Then he travelled in Italy from Firenze to Rome and Genes from 1638 to 1661 and was inspired and influenced by these trips and what he saw beyond the Alps. The construction consists in a four aisles building which encloses a courtyard. In this rectangular courtyard a chapel takes place. The first impression you feel in front of the building is surprise because of the contrast between the hostile outside building and the sophisticated inside. [...]

[...] Later the city of Marseille paid to become once again owner of the building and began its restoration. Since this restoration the edifice welcomes cultural activities such as the museum of archaeology. (The chapel in 1960) Here is the point where I would come. Indeed the restoration of this monument was the turning point in the restoration of the whole quarter. It was the starting point of the reinvestment by authorities in this old part of the city, which could not be simply destroyed because of its sentimental historical value to the population at large. [...]

[...] The first point I am going to deal with is the restoration and the improvement of buildings. As mentioned in the introduction, this part of Marseille was the oldest part of the city but has not kept the traces of the Greek or Roman civilisation apart from the streets which are quite small and don't allow people to circulate but on foot. The buildings have nothing significant and are characteristic of the construction that you can see in other villages in the south of France. [...]

[...] Le Panier: its patrimony, its rehabilitation and the new city Marseille is an old city dating from Greek Antiquity when it was called Massilia and was a harbour on the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks to trade and its location between the Eastern and the Western world Marseille has become an important place. Influenced by many civilisations, the City has been built, destroyed and rebuilt through the centuries. This juxtaposition of styles and types of architecture is particularly visible in the centre of Marseille. [...]