Journées Européennes du Patrimoine 2026

Programme

Saturday and Sunday

10 a.m. → 6 p.m.: Open spaces, activities and talks

VISITS

For the European Heritage Days on 19 and 20 September, discover 6 original and free guided tours to explore the Citadelle from a new perspective. Themes include history, fauna and flora, women’s heritage, traditional building crafts, sound walks, and visits through the eyes of the Vauban Association or heritage architects.

Free visits upon reservation

• Visite Faune et Flore
• Visite par l’Association Vauban
• Visite Matrimoine
• Visite par les Architectes du Patrimoine
• Balade Sonore
• Visite Métiers du bâti ancien
• Visite « Une Démocratie de Pierre » par l’artiste Mathilde Dewavrin (à venir)

Flash tours

• Short historical tour led by the staff members of the associations based at Fort Saint-Nicolas

Several tours throughout the day, no reservation required

Medieval Combat and Fencing

Have you ever heard of Historical European Martial Arts? Discover the practice with the medieval fencing school “L’Âme Impétueuse”: demonstrations of historical weapon handling, ancient pugilism and traditional wrestling… And for the bravest participants, try combat sport in light armour!

Craft Demonstrations

The restoration of Fort Saint-Nicolas relies on a wide range of skills and craftsmanship, some of them centuries old. Meet the women and men working daily on the restoration site led by ACTA VISTA and discover their expertise.

SATURDAY
This demonstration offers an introduction to architectural ornamentation, a traditional craft related to decorative elements in architecture. While Fort Saint-Nicolas, designed for defence, is characterised by its austerity, this demonstration creates a moment apart from the daily restoration work while remaining faithful to traditional materials and techniques.

SUNDAY
Through the gestures of stone cutters, visitors discover the skills implemented on the restoration site as well as traditional stone-working techniques. The demonstration is accompanied by a presentation of the educational practice pieces used for training, through which employees in professional reintegration progressively develop their skills and become familiar with traditional building trades.

Exhibitions

Résistances et Désobéissances

Artists Saber Zammouri and Hugo Mir‑Valette explore the Franco-Tunisian colonial past through the prism of Habib Bourguiba’s imprisonment at the Citadelle between 1940 and 1942.

Through two works combining research, storytelling and digital media, the exhibition questions notions of memory and archives, opening a dialogue between the two shores of the Mediterranean.

More information

Common Grounds

Gradoscope (Bulgaria) and Fundación RIA (Spain) share with the Citadelle common concerns related to soil pollution. Over the course of 18 months, collaborations were developed, bringing together artists, researchers and local residents around questions of urban and rural regeneration.

Artists Andrea Popyordanova and Virgile Haëck will present the outcome of the three residencies carried out as part of the project.

More information

Memory of Stone, Faces of the Future

Through an exhibition path across three spaces combining photographs, testimonies, videos and presentations of restoration sites, this exhibition tells the story of the association and the people who make it what it is, in close connection with its sister organisations BAO Formation and the Citadelle de Marseille. It highlights the work carried out by the association through its main actors: employees in professional reintegration, trainers working both on-site and in educational workshops, support staff teams, and all those who work here and on the other restoration sites every day.

Stone Sculptures

For the past two years, we have been offering the general public the opportunity to discover stone sculpture alongside Nicolas Orselly, stone cutter and technical supervisor on the Citadelle restoration site. This exhibition showcases a selection of works created by participants.

Meet BAO Formation

Would you like to learn more about the training provided to the employees in professional reintegration who work daily on the restoration of the Citadelle? Meet BAO Formation, the organisation that trains employees through a hands-on teaching approach based on learning through practice, making its programmes accessible to people with few prior qualifications.

https://baoformation.fr/

The Citadelle and Its Natural Heritage

The Citadelle de Marseille has chosen to give its natural heritage the same level of care and attention as that devoted to the buildings and the people who inhabit the site. Meet our teams, the League for the Protection of Birds, and Mycotopia to learn more about the initiatives carried out to restore and enhance the site’s ecosystems in a sustainable way.

Activities for Younger Visitors

Activities specially designed for younger visitors to help them discover Fort Saint-Nicolas and its heritage from a child’s perspective: natural pigment mural painting, calade stone paving workshops, drawing and colouring activities, homemade Connect Four games, and more.

Only on saturday

Sunrise over the Citadelle

Register

Start your Saturday early by joining us from 7 a.m. (sunrise at 7:30 a.m.) to watch the sun rise over the Old Port from our gardens.

Enjoy a unique view over Marseille and the hills of Aubagne as the sun slowly rises above the city in a moment of rare calm and quiet.

Make yourself comfortable on our deckchairs — coffee will be offered to the earliest visitors!

Please note that the site will remain closed between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.