Palais Longchamp, Marseille (must see)

The Longchamp Palace (Palais Longchamp) stands as a prominent monument in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille. It serves as the home for the Museum of Fine Arts and the Natural History Museum of Marseille. The exquisite Longchamp Park that surrounds the palace has garnered recognition as one of the Notable Gardens of France, as designated by the French Ministry of Culture.

The genesis of the Longchamp Palace traces back to the celebration of the construction of the Canal de Marseille, an engineering marvel designed to supply water from the river Durance to the city. Laid down on 15th November 1839 by the Duke of Orleans, the palace's construction endured numerous challenges and took three decades to complete, primarily due to its substantial costs and complications arising from local regulations. The mastermind behind its architectural brilliance was Henri-Jacques Espérandieu, who centered the design around an impressive fountain, often referred to as the château d'eau or "water tower."

Subsequently, Longchamp Park opened its gates to the public in 1869, simultaneously accommodating the art and natural-history collections that were formerly housed elsewhere. For a significant period, the park also housed a zoo, managed by the city from 1898 until 1987. Due to public discontent with traditional zoos, it was eventually closed.

The palace's majestic fountain features four grand bulls and three women with a central Durance symbol. It represents fertility with grape and wheat motifs. Inside, a beautifully crafted stone grotto adorned with stalactites and nymphs sits behind the women. Water flows from beneath them and the bulls into a secondary basin, cascading into an artificial pond. It eventually drains into underground pipes, forming a graceful waterfall-like structure with twelve ornate bronze fountains leading to a larger pond.

Beyond the palace's grandeur lies the Jardin du Plateau, a classic garden à la française, beautifully adorning the garden's core. Additionally, the garden comprises an English landscape garden with meandering pathways and an array of remarkable trees, including a 150-year-old plane tree, a 120-year-old oak, and a Siberian elm.