Discount Hotels Marseille
Historical interest: Marseille
    
Marseille (Massalia back then) celebrated its 2,600th birthday before the year
2000, which makes it the oldest city in France. Its history is one of turbulence
and uncertainty, and initially the city went into decline when it was taken over
by Rome.
Around 600 BC the site of the city was colonized by Greeks from Asia Minor.
The settlement flourished, and in the Punic Wars it sided with Rome against
Carthage. In 49 BC, after supporting Pompey the Great in the civil war against
Julius Caesar, the city was annexed by Rome.
The inhabitants were converted to Christianity during the 3rd century AD, and
in 304 AD, St Vincent was martyred here. In the 10th century, the city became
a dominion of the counts of Provence; in the 13th century, it was made a republic.
Marseille achieved renewed economic prosperity as an independent shipping post
during the Crusades.
The city was incorporated into the kingdom of France in 1481, and stripped
of its independent status in 1658. Periods of prosperity alternated with times
of crisis, and just when Marseille had become a truly international port, it
was hit by the great plague in the early 1700s. The city was not completely
wiped out, but it lost half its population.
Commerce at the port increased in the latter part of the 18th century, before
suffering another severe setback during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic
Wars. After 1850, port facilities were greatly expanded and many industries
were established at Marseille.
The city was occupied by the Germans and badly damaged in WWII. Subsequently,
major construction programmes transformed Marseille into a modern community
with many high-rise buildings, and parts of the Panier district and the Old
Port were rebuilt. Today, the city is very cosmopolitan, with many immigrants
arriving from all over Europe and the French colonies.
http://www.marseille.worldweb.com/Marseille/
Selection of hotels in this region:
Mercure Marseille Prado | | Holiday Inn Marseille | |
Click below for a
full list of hotels and online booking
|
