/ / The Marseille Maritime Museum: photo description (Musee de la Marine)


Marseille was founded as a trading port, and throughout its history has been associated with the sea, Maritime trade. Currently, Marseille is the country's largest commercial port. In addition, Marseille in the XV century was announced and a strategically important naval base. Currently, the life of Marseille is closely linked with the sea via the city's port are freight and passenger traffic, work ship repair and shipbuilding yard, residents are employed in the tourism and industrial fisheries.

The whole naval part of the life of Marseilles, since the Greeks - the founders of Massalia, the oldest city in France, presented at the Maritime Museum. It is located on the city's main street La CanebiÃ¨re, was built in the second half of the nineteenth century. The Museum is housed in the Exchange building, which was opened in 1860. This event was timed to the visit to Marseille of the Emperor Napoleon III. The construction of the new building of the exchange was conducted for half a century. It entered the city chamber of Commerce, founded in the late XVI century. In addition to the permanent exhibition, the Museum hosts temporary exhibitions, a public library.

Familiarity with the Maritime history of the city, you may want to continue in the Old port of Marseille, which was founded Massalia in about the VI century BC. The Greeks initially occupied the Northern side of the Bay, and the South took the stone to build the city. In the middle of the Bay about X century there were warehouses and shipyards. At the end of the XIII century in the Bay appeared mooring for warships. In XVI-XVII centuries near the port were built the famous mansions, which are considered the oldest buildings in the city - the house of the Consul de Cabra and the "Diamond house". In the port area is the Abbey of St. Victor (V century), one of the oldest Christian monasteries. Now the Old port accepts light pleasure craft, and for heavy trucks and passenger liners were built New port.