Su questo luogo
One of the largest open squares in central Marseille, the Cours d'Estienne d'Orves spreads across the site of the old royal galley arsenal. From the fifteenth century the kings of France built and armed their war galleys here, and by the time the great arsenal was completed in 1707 it was the largest in France, holding up to forty galleys and housing as many as eight thousand convict oarsmen. A canal once ran through the heart of the works, later filled in, and in the twentieth century a bulky concrete car park loomed over the space until it was demolished at the end of the 1980s and the elegant square was created. It is named for Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves, a naval officer and one of the first martyrs of Free France, shot by the Nazis in 1941. Today its bookshops and café terraces make it a favourite place to linger.
Fatti principali
- 1707 year — The royal galley arsenal on this site was completed, the largest in France
- 1941 year — Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves was shot by the Nazis as a Resistance hero
- 8000 convicts — Convict oarsmen were once housed at the arsenal that stood here
📍 Cours Honoré d'Estienne d'Orves 28, 13001, Marseille