Martigues

Martigues (Occitan: Lo Martegue in classical norm, Lou Martegue in Mistralian norm) is a commune northwest of Marseille. It is part of the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the eastern end of the Canal de Caronte.

Martigues Lo Martegue (Occitan)
Commune
Le Miroir aux oiseaux (Bird Mirror) area
Coat of arms
Location of Martigues
Martigues Show map of France Martigues Show map of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Coordinates: 43°24′19″N 5°02′51″E
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
Arrondissement	Istres
Canton	Martigues
Intercommunality	Aix-Marseille-Provence
Government
• Mayor (2020–2026)	Gaby Charroux[1]
Area 1	71.44 km2 (27.58 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	48,818
• Density	683.3/km2 (1,770/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	13056 /13500
Elevation	0–187 m (0–614 ft) (avg. 1 m or 3.3 ft)
Website	ville-martigues.fr
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

A direct translation from the Martigues Tourisme^[3] website states the following about Martigues:

Nicknamed the "Provençale Venice", Martigues is a point of passage between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Martigues (now Etang de Berre), close to the Côte d'Azur. The charm of its canals, its docks and bridges made it "The Venice of Provence". Martigues possesses also its cooperative winery "La Venise provençale": Coteaux d'Aix en Provence, rosé, red and white wines, fruit juices and natural oils in the region. Main varietals: Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault, Carignan, Clairette.

History

Martigues was founded by Ramon Berenguer IV, count of Provence in 1232 on the likely site of the Roman camp Maritima Avaticorum.

The Hôtel de Ville

The Hôtel de Ville was built on the former salt marshes and completed in 1983.^[4]

Population

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 6,695 —     1800 6,869 +0.37% 1806 6,888 +0.05% 1821 7,255 +0.35% 1831 7,438 +0.25% 1836 7,299 −0.38% 1841 7,772 +1.26% 1846 7,873 +0.26% 1851 8,640 +1.88% 1856 8,099 −1.28% 1861 8,433 +0.81% 1866 8,011 −1.02% 1872 8,053 +0.09% 1876 6,963 −3.57% 1881 6,483 −1.42% 1886 6,494 +0.03% 1891 5,918 −1.84% 1896 5,659 −0.89%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 6,280 +2.10% 1906 5,734 −1.80% 1911 7,450 +5.38% 1921 6,304 −1.66% 1926 8,876 +7.08% 1931 9,394 +1.14% 1936 10,489 +2.23% 1946 11,295 +0.74% 1954 15,150 +3.74% 1962 21,515 +4.48% 1968 27,945 +4.45% 1975 38,373 +4.63% 1982 42,037 +1.31% 1990 42,678 +0.19% 1999 43,497 +0.21% 2007 46,247 +0.77% 2012 47,624 +0.59% 2017 48,188 +0.24%
Source: EHESS[5] and INSEE (1968-2017)[6]

Transport

The Gare de Martigues railway station is served by regional trains between Miramas and Marseille.

The nearest airport is Marseille Provence Airport (MRS), which is 14.52 km (9 miles) away.^[7]

CroisiEurope runs river cruises between Martigues (dock near Avenue Louis Sammut, behind City Hall)^[8] and either Lyon or Chalon-sur-Saône.^[9]

People

• Gerard Thom (Frère Gérard), founder of the Knights Hospitaller
• Etienne Auteman / Authement, City Attorney 1700
• Étienne Richaud (1841-1889), Principal private secretary (Gambetta's Ministry), Governor of La Réunion, Governor General for Inde française
• Charles Maurras (1868-1952), poet and political theorist
• Éric Bernard, Formula-1 driver
• Jimmy Abdou, footballer
• Ali Ahamada, footballer
• Maurice Dalé, footballer
• Rod Fanni, footballer
• Foued Kadir, footballer
• André-Pierre Gignac, footballer
• Clara Luciani, singer
• Amor Kehiha, footballer
• Imany, singer
• Giacomo and Gilles Coustellier, both multiple mountainbike trials world champions
• Yusuf Sari, footballer
• Philippe Didier Prout, firefighter

Sport

The 1st stage of the 2024 Tour de la Provence finished at Martigues on the 9th of Feb.^[10]

See also

• FC Martigues - Local football club.
• Étang de Berre
• Communes of the Bouches-du-Rhône department
• Maison du chemin de Paradis