Le par­cours­ muséographique du Musée d'Histoire de Marseille

This museum in France’s oldest city invites visitors to discover 26 centuries of history, bringing together archaeology, fine arts, everyday objects and architecture. It is organized into 13 sections featuring digital installations.

A history museum for a living heritage:

Marseille established a history museum in 1983. A true site museum, it is an integral part of the Centre Bourse development, whose construction work enabled archaeologists to uncover the monumental remains of the Greek and Roman city between 1967 and 1983. Preserved in situ, these remains provide an ideal introduction to the museum visit.

In 2013, the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille reopened with an entirely new, educational and digital museum route, spanning from prehistory to the present day. This heritage complex, comprising the museum and the site, offers visitors ways to understand the city today and how it has evolved.

A HISTORY MUSEUM, A CITY MUSEUM

A modern museum accessible to all, it offers an innovative and educational cultural program. The multimedia installations in the museum, at the Bourse archaeological site and throughout the city – along the ancient Greek road to Fort Saint-Jean – invite visitors to encounter Marseille and its inhabitants, past and present. Augmented reality, 3D reconstructions and soundscapes take visitors on an immersive journey through time.

2,600 YEARS OF HISTORY IN 13 SECTIONS

The museum route is based on two key ideas: Marseille is the oldest city in France, and it is a port city open to the Mediterranean Sea. Starting from these two facts, visitors discover the city’s history along a maritime thread connecting thirteen chronological sections, from the earliest prehistoric settlements to contemporary urban development.

Virtual exhibition - Big Bang Bourse

A fun, geolocated historical trail in the heart of Marseille, available free of charge on your smartphone

Set off with the archaeonaut on an unusual journey through the heart of Marseille and discover the remarkable history of the Bourse district, from Antiquity to the present day.

The area known as "behind the Bourse," now gone, was bounded by Cours Belsunce to the east, La Canebière to the south, rue de la République to the west and rue Colbert to the north. Its history has been shaped by several events that transformed its appearance, from the opening of rue Impériale in 1862 (now rue de la République) to its complete destruction in the late 1930s.

Immerse yourself in an original narrative and explore more than 30 audiovisual pieces as you wander through the streets of the Bourse district.

Interviews, fiction, archives, testimonies, stories... Web app created by Tabasco Vidéo in partnership with the history museum. Available at https://bigbangbourse.com

Practical information:

To enjoy this on-site experience in the best conditions, make sure your phone battery is charged, that you have 4G data, and bring a pair of headphones.

You can browse the content freely or choose to explore it in narrative order. In that case, the starting point is on La Canebière, in front of the Palais de la Bourse.

► The Musée d'Histoire de Marseille has a documentation center. By appointment only, by email: documentation-mhm@marseille.fr and by phone at 04 91 55 36 20.

► To ensure that you can visit all our exhibition rooms, we invite you to contact the museum before your visit.

► All visits and activities related to the exhibition are listed on the musees.marseille.fr website