Palais Longchamp
The Palais Longchamp is a 1862 - 1869 building built in the style of historicism in Marseille, located in the Quartier des Cinq- Avenues on the north end of the Boulevard Longchamp.
Architectural History
In 1838 was begun under the supervision of the engineer Monticher with the construction of the Canal de Marseille, to guide you through this from the Durance from fresh water to Marseille. The water reached the channel and with him in 1847, first the Marseille region (at Saint -Antoine ), and finally in 1849 the actual urban area of Marseille, at the former plateau Longchamp. To celebrate the arrival of water in 1847, the architect Pascal Coste was commissioned to create a representative water reservoir and a natural history museum. Because of the revolution of 1848 this project was merely sketch.
In 1850 the city took a new approach. They commissioned the architect Jean Danjoy, which already provided for a water tower in the form of a triumphal arch and including an allegory of the river Durance with female symbol figures of Fruchtbarkett (wine and cereals). Also for this project came to nothing. It was only in 1859 commissioned by the Mayor of Marseille Jean -François Honnorat the sculptor Frédéric -Auguste Bartholdi, who later became the creator of the Statue of Liberty, with the preparation of new plans. This initially saw only a monumental fountain in front - then, at the urging of the city administration, a central water castle, flanked by symmetrically arranged museum. In a third project, he combined this museum wing by a monumental colonnade.
The hesitant City Council appointed a special commission then local architects Henri Labrouste and Léon Victor Baltard and Vaudoyer, City Architect of Paris. This Commission spoke out against Bartholdi's project. Bartholdi received his fee, and in 1861, originally from Nimes young architect Henri -Jacques Espérandieu was entrusted with the implementation of the existing system today. ( Espérandieu was at that time working as a supervisor at the Basilica of Notre -Dame-de -la-Garde ). Bartholdi protested in 1863 with the remark that the idea of the semi-circular colonnade came from him and found mainly in the Paris press Unterstützimg. He championed until his court in 1901 claiming authorship, but to no avail.
End of September 1861 presented Espérandieu his first plans, on April 7, 1862 final project was accepted by the council, on August 15, 1869, the grand opening of this " greatest monumental building of the Second Empire outside of Paris." The two side wings are since two highly respected museums of Marseilles: the Museum of Fine Arts ( Musee des Beaux -Arts ) on the left and the Museum of Natural History ( Museum d' Histoire naturelle) on the right. The building is surrounded by gardens; toward the front of the garden is dominated by a generous system of gargoyles and waterfalls, to the rear was located until 1987, a zoo, which is now used as a green area and enjoys great popularity.