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Founded:
600 B.C.
Population:
798,430
University
student
population: 20,000
Museums:
14
Length
of coastline
within city limits:
20 miles
Number
of recent films
set in Marseille: 9
Number
of OM
season ticket holders:
46,000
Percentage
of Marseille
population which
would never consider
leaving Marseille:
39%
Classification
"Quality of Life"
(Nouvel Observateur,
25 largest French cities):
Number 1
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Ideally
compatible with the goals of the AUCP, Marseille is a living crossroads
of culture and language. Rich in twenty-six centuries of history, the
lively, textured mix of its various populations, and the incomparable
natural beauty of its twenty- mile coastline, Marseille remains
mysteriously off the tourist trail and is thus perfect for a cultural
and linguistic immersion experience of rare authenticity.
The
Crossroads of Mediterranean Cultures
France's largest port, Marseille is a safe, modern city with a strong,
proud identity, and is largely unspoiled by globalization. Founded by
Greek sailors in 600 B.C., Marseille later fell under Roman rule. Part
of its charm is that everywhere one looks one sees archaeological
evidence of an earlier Marseille. At the same time, the city is
bustling and young, a magnet for new investment in information and
communication services. Marseille has an excellent public transport
system of buses and métros making the rich resources of the
city accessible to a 20,000-plus student population.
And everywhere, it seems, is the sea. For twenty-six centuries
Marseille's Vieux Port has been a living center for trading and fishing
where local fishermen daily sell their catch. Along the Corniche John
Kennedy, sandy beaches, restaurants, tiny fishing ports, and steep,
wild calanques (a kind of fiord in Provençal) draw les
Marseillais to the Mediterranean. Favorite sports are diving, sailing,
and sea kayaking. In the middle of that bay stands le Château
d'If, the beautiful, haunting Alcatraz of France, where Alexandre Dumas
imprisoned his Count of Monte Cristo.
In addition to its passion for soccer, Marseille is known for its
theatre, opera, and dance. In a city where simple café talk
often takes on a theatrically Mediterranean dimension, Le
Théâtre de la Criée, the National
Theatre of Marseille, presents original productions ranging from
Molière through those of France's leading contemporary
playwrights. Top rock groups regularly play the city, which also boasts
the liveliest rap scene in France.
 Most
importantly, Marseille is France's center of ethnic diversity, where
successive waves of immigration have brought populations from Spain and
Italy who live together with more recent arrivals from Africa, North
Africa, and the Middle East. It is a lively city with a centuries-old
tradition of intercultural exchange and religious pluralism. More than
immigrants however, more than French, the inhabitants of the city are
Marseillais.
The American Center
Continuing Education for the French Community
AUCP Marseille shares convenient downtown premises with the American
Center, established in 1989. Situated in a historic building close to
numerous bus and metro lines, the center is just two blocks away from
the American Consulate and the French Préfecture.
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