TRIUMPHAL ARCH
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The majestic Arc de Triomphe, which once marked the city's exit towards Aix-en-Provence, is a must-see monument.
The Porte d'Aix, as it is commonly known, once marked the boundary of Marseille and the city's exit towards Aix. In 1784, a first project for a triumphal arch was born. The aldermen decided to erect it in honor of Louis XVI. The Place d'Aix was chosen as the site. Hesitations on the part of Marseille's town councillors delayed the project, and it was definitively abandoned with the revolution.
The idea was revived in 1823, on the initiative of the Marquis de Montgrand, Mayor of Marseille, this time to commemorate the Duc d'Angoulême's campaign in Spain. Built in 1825 to plans by the architect Penchaud, this triumphal arch, culminating in the center of a large traffic circle, gradually fell out of favor, a victim of the district's bad reputation and not really enhanced by the freeway that opens up just a few meters away.
Today, the project to rehabilitate the district and the square is changing all that. Although some works are behind schedule, the Arc de Triomphe's surroundings are much more pleasant, and the building has been given a new lease of life. The freeway has been rerouted, and green spaces are taking over. From now on, there's no reason to miss the superb perspective between this triumphal arch and the Cantini fountain on Place Castellane. A monument that deserves the attention it deserves at last.
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Members' reviews on TRIUMPHAL ARCH
For lovers of exotic and the scenery is worth it.