The Docks in Marseille

In the 19th century, Marseille acquired the status of first port of the Mediterranean and was given the name of "Gate to the East". During this period, everything was changing: new technologies have allowed steamboats to flourish, the time of Barbary pirates was completely over and there were more and more ships arriving at the port of Lacydon Bay, quickly saturated, because too narrow to accommodate so many activities.

It was thus decided to extend the port to Joliette. This is how the Docks of Marseille were built by the architect Gustave Desplaces between 1858 and 1863. The latter drew inspiration from the docks of London for the plans of those of Marseille.

The junctions of railways and sea-ways were made at the docks, insofar as a railway returned directly to the very heart of the docks. Between 1864 and 1988, before the industrial activity of the docks was stopped, 150,000 tons of goods were stocked here daily, before being transported by train to Paris or Lyon.

The achievement of the docks is among the most modern and costly projects in the history of the city, especially by adding up the amount spent on their buildings in the 19th century with the amount needed for their renovations a century later.

After a long period of abandonment, the Docks of Marseille were renewed in 2015, urged by the architect Eric Castaldi. Warehouses were transformed into offices. Some 220 companies settled there and nearly 3,000 people work there nowadays. On the ground floor there are many shops, restaurants and luxury boutiques. All four dock buildings have been rehabilitated and even the inner courtyards have gained a touch of beauty with the appearance of ponds.

In addition, a large shopping center was recently inaugurated, just opposite the docks. This had the effect of completely transforming the neighborhood's face into a giant commercial center in Marseille, almost entirely ridding itself of the image of an old neighborhood that stuck to this area for nearly 2,600 years.