I.

Introduction

Marseille or Marseilles (Greek, Massalia, Latin, Massilia), city in southern France, capital of the Bouches-du-Rhône Department, on the Gulf of Lion (an arm of the Mediterranean Sea). The second-largest city in France, it is a major sea port and an important commercial and industrial centre. Population 820,900 (2005 estimate).

II.

Economy

The city is linked by canal to the River Rhône and is served by extensive rail and air transport facilities; the large petroleum port of Fos, chiefly developed in the 1970s, is nearby. Manufactured goods of the Marseille metropolitan area include iron and steel, chemicals, plastic and metal products, ships, refined petroleum, construction materials, alcohol, and processed food. The city attracts much foreign investment and an important stock exchange is situated here.

III.

Places of Interest

In the bay fronting Marseille are several islands, including the islet of If, site of the 16th-century Château d'If, featured in Alexandre Dumas's romance The Count of Monte-Cristo. Several forts protect the harbour, and on a high strip of land projecting west into the bay is the 19th-century church of Notre Dame de la Garde, surmounted by a gilded statue of the Virgin Mary. Marseille has few relics of the ancient period, although it is the oldest city in France. In the late 1960s archaeologists uncovered parts of the Hellenistic ramparts of the city, and a section of the medieval cathedral of La Major still stands. In the 11th-century crypts, over which the church of St Victor was built in the 13th century, is an image of the Virgin Mary supposed to have been the work of St Luke. Educational and cultural facilities in the city include the universities of Aix-Marseille I and II (1970) and museums of archaeology, shipping, and fine arts.

IV.

History

Around 600 bc the site of the city was colonized by Greeks from Asia Minor and called Massalia. The settlement flourished, and in the Punic Wars it sided with Rome against Carthage. In 49 bc, after supporting Pompey the Great in the civil war against Julius Caesar, the city was annexed by Rome. The inhabitants were converted to Christianity during the 3rd century ad, and in 304 St Vincent was martyred here. In the 10th century it became a dominion of the counts of Provence, and in the 13th century it was made a republic. Marseille achieved renewed economic prosperity as an independent shipping post during the Crusades. The city was incorporated into the kingdom of France in 1481, and stripped of its independent status in 1658.

Commerce at the port increased in the 18th century, before suffering a severe setback during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. After 1850 port facilities were greatly expanded, and many industries were established at Marseille. The city was occupied and badly damaged by the Germans in World War II. Subsequently, major construction programmes transformed Marseille into a modern community with many high-rise buildings, and parts of the Panier district and the Old Port, destroyed during World War II, have been rebuilt. Marseille has traditionally attracted immigrants, both from European countries and from South Africa (particularly from former French colonies).