Looking very much like a palace, Palais Longchamp, Marseille is actually a huge, elaborate monument to water and its importance since Marseille was founded in 600 BC by the Greeks. The Palais Longchamp is located a short walk from the Vieux Port, Longchamp Park and botanical garden.
It connects the Musée des beaux-arts and Natural History Museum, two most important Marseille museums. The monument was inaugurated in 1869, 30 years after the construction began, in commemoration of bringing water from the Durance River to Marseille. It was designed by the architect Henri-Jacques Espérandieu and is centered on the elaborate fountain called the château d'eau or water castle.
Boulevard Jardin Zoologique, 13004 Marseille, France