A place you have to pass through to get from the Mediterranean Sea to the... Martigues Sea (now called the Etang de Berre), very close to the Côte Bleue, MARTIGUES is well situated.

The first proven inhabitants of the site were in what is now the l'Ile quarter, in the 5th century BC.
The Gallo-Roman period of MARTIGUES is still little known. There is only a villa in Saint Julien les Martigues left as evidence of the Roman influence on the Martigues site.

During the Middle Ages, three small towns appeared, each of which was fortified: Jonquières in 950, the Isle of Pont Saint Geniès, founded by a count and dating from1226, and the "new town" of Ferrières set up in 1250.

An act of union of these three quarters was signed in the Saint Louis d'Anjou church in Ferrières on the 21st April 1581. It became one of the most important towns after Marseilles in lower Provence.

The town was progressively made more attractive with: the building of squares (Mirabeau), and a wide street for horse-drawn coaches in Jonquières with a decorative fountain, giving an attractive town view from theSaint Geniès church, theHôtel Pradines and the Ile Cathedral.

In the 20th century, the town invested in new facilities for the public, such as the multimedia library, the Ziem Museum, theTown Hall, the covered market and the Theatre, which is at a national level.

The charm of its canals, its waterside roads and its bridges has made it the Venice of Provence.

>> Around Ferrières

Starting from Ferrières, going along the Baussengue canal, you get to the Ziem museum which is in the former Customs barracks.
Going across the Boulevard du 14 juillet, you can see the remains of the old Ferrières rampart. Close by, with a façade somewhere between yellow and pink, there is the Saint Louis d'Anjou church. It dates from the 16th century, and it was here that the document joining the three towns of "Jonquières, Ferrières and l'Ile" was signed in 1581. On the left-hand side of the façade there is an elegant stone portal and a high window with bossage decoration.
Then we turn back to nn where we can see recent buildings on the old salt flats: the Théâtre des Salins, theTown Hall, the Tourist Centre and the covered market.

>> The Ile (island) quarter

On the left, the narrow rue Galinière. The Place Comtale work revealed a mediaeval wall in Romanesque style. A decorated archway, a twin window, a small column; were these remains from the 12th century part of a Count’s palace?
Close by, some typical 17th century houses with: friezes, macaroons, ensigns. We reach the Place Mirabeau, which is really charming, with its plane trees and its 17th century fountain backed up against a building. Here we are close to a listed site, the « Miroir aux Oiseaux » (Mirror of the Birds).

Miroir aux Oiseaux? Here is a poetic-impressionist explanation: it seems that 19th century painters who came here often, such as Corot, Delacroix, Loubon, Ziem, Picabia and Dufy decided to give this lake its name.
From here we can see the La Madeleine church, whose superb17th century baroque majesty has just been magnificently restored.

On the banks of the Saint Sébastien canal, it is close to the sober and elegant Hôtel Colla de Pradines. Going along the quai Marceau, you can see some beautiful façades with mullioned windows and the « gendarme’s hat house ». It was here that the film "La Cuisine au Beurre" with Bourvil and Fernandel was shot in 1963.

On the Place Maritima, have a look at the original "archaeological showcase museum" : a model of the Gallic village, whose 5th century BC foundations have been found.
Go across the lifting bridge and...

>> head for Jonquières

On the Quai Alsace Lorraine, there is the Saint Geniès church , which was rebuilt in the 17th century. It is very sober, and was built in a "counter-reformation spirit", in reaction to the baroque period. But there is a surprise behind it, coming from the Annonciade chapel, a former Pénitents Blancs chapel. The outside is not particularly impressive, but once inside you are hit by the opulence of its baroque decor.

Then you can go for a stroll in the central pedestrian area, starting from Rue Lamartine : façades with mullioned vaults, courtyards with angle pilasters, and opulent 19th century houses which belonged to the Provencal upper middle classes, and stroll under the plane trees along the Cours du 4 Septembre, formerly a "street for horse-drawn coaches".

According to Patrick Denys in "Accent de Provence".

PLEASE NOTE: The Martigues town council has published a leaflet called "Brochure MARTIGUES ACCESSIBLE"with a plan of a tour of the town centre that you can do on foot. Available from the Tourist Office