The modern provencal Venice

The similarities between Martigues and its Italian elder do not stop at the canals that run through both cities. While the Venetian Arsenal welcomes the world's architects as part of the city's art Biennale, the "Provencal Venice" has been an in-situ laboratory for contemporary architecture for over fifty years. Thanks to a proactive policy regarding the construction of public facilities and social housing, Martigues has become a remarkable city with regards to Mediterranean architecture. The quality and usage value of the constructions provided to the local population make them references in the matter. The town is living proof that it is possible to build a perennial city in Provence, at once traditional and industrial, wherein architecture and urban planning act as social glue. Martigues is a part of the Town of Art and History network, enabling the preservation and public enjoyment of its heritage. Between Marseille and Fos-sur-Mer stands as a cathartic architectural and urban response to metropolitan ills.



La Venise Provençale moderne Théâtre des Salins École de Ferrières Hôtel de Ville ZAC Paradis Saint Roch Immeuble Moulins de France Ensemble Collectif Notre Dame des Marins École maternelle Di Lorto Centre Funéraire Municipal
Partager :

City Hall

A Pioneer at the Core

Inaugurated in 1983, this architectural curio houses a large proportion of the City of Martigues' administrative services. Built on stilts on the former site of a salt marsh, it blends proto-High Tech Late Modernism and, with its functioning as a living, flexible and extensible organism, a whiff of metabolic architecture The quality of the perfectly-preserved construction makes it a landmark in Martigues' cityscape, which bears witness to its time. It is, along with the Théâtre des Salins and the future municipal courthouse, one of the main buildings of the downtown's extension. The passing of time has normalized this creation, which is now better connected to the city's overall aesthetic since the construction by Antoine Grumbach of a surrounding neighbourhood. A river shuttle connects it to the Old Town, allowing the visitor to take in from a different perspective - despite its hard-to-find entrance!

Architect : Claude Delaugerre
Year : 1983
Type : Équipement Public
Address : Avenue Louis Sammut, 13500 Martigues
Géolocalisation google