Palais Longchamp 4.12

The Palais Longchamp is a monument in the 4th arrondissement of Marseille, France. It houses the city's musée des beaux-arts and natural history museum. The surrounding park (the Parc Longchamp) is listed by the French Ministry of Culture as one of the Notable Gardens of France.HistoryThe Palais Longchamp was created to celebrate the construction of the Canal de Marseille, which was built to bring water from the Durance River to Marseille. Although the foundation stone was laid by the Duke of Orleans on 15 November 1839, the building took 30 years to complete, partly because of the enormous expense and partly because of difficulties with local regulations. Designed by the architect Henry Esperandieu, the building was centered on the structure and elaborate fountain known as the chateau d'eau ("water castle").DescriptionThe Palais Longchamp has three main parts: The chateau d'eau The east wing, which houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts The west wing, which houses the Museum d'Histoire NaturelleThe parkParc Longchamp was opened in 1869, at the same time as the palace; in addition, the art and natural-history collections, which had been housed elsewhere, moved into the palace at this time. The park also contained a zoo, which was run by the city from 1898 until 1987, when, because of public disaffection with traditional zoos, it was closed.