From dawn till dusk: the Citadelle de Marseille throws its doors wide open!

Start your Saturday morning by joining us at 7 AM to admire the sunrise over the Old Port from our gardens (registration required). This year, there will be no guided tours, but plenty of opportunities to meet people and explore the Fort freely, following different routes to hear the many stories of the women and men who bring this place to life: mediators, restoration project participants, memory keepers, artists, and researchers…

Wander along the paths accompanied by a sound fiction, enjoy the viewpoints and remarkable restored features, attend skill demonstrations, discover the photo exhibition “Terrains de rêves” and many other surprises!

The Saturday program will conclude with an open-air cinema screening in the courtyard of Demi-Lune Dauphine, in partnership with the Alhambra cinema.

Full program

Sunrise from the Citadelle

Saturday, 7:00 AM

 Reservation required

What unique experience and fresh perspective can we offer visitors to the European Heritage Days at the Citadelle de Marseille this year?

Every morning, the Fort’s staff enjoy a rare, peaceful view of Marseille and the Aubagne hills as the sun slowly rises over the city...

For this year’s European Heritage Days, we invite you to join us from 7 AM (sunrise at 7:30 AM) to share in this spectacle: settle into a deck chair comfortably, and we’ll offer coffee to the earliest risers!

Open-air cinema

Saturday, 7:30 PM

Free entry, subject to capacity

To close this first day of the European Heritage Days, the Citadelle opens its doors to the iconic Saint-Henri Art House Cinema, L'Alhambra, for an open-air screening under the stars.

On the program:
Graines Au Vent by Paul Carpita, a Marseille filmmaker whose work is deeply connected to the city, the dockworkers, union struggles, and the fight for peace;
and Marseille Vieux-Port by László Moholy-Nagy, Hungarian painter and photographer from the first half of the 20th century.

Filmmakers Bania Mejdar and Dorothée Sebbagh will present their respective films Des enfants et des arbres and Malmousque, with Q&A sessions planned after the screenings.

Workshops and encounters

Saturday 10:00 AM → 6:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM → 6:00 PM

Demonstrations of restoration trades with the associations Acta Vista and BAO Formation

Stroll through the Citadelle and meet the women and men who work daily to restore the fort. Discover and try out their traditional skills:

• Stone cutting, ornamentation & sculpture
• Drawing
• Metal object creation

Saturday 10:00 AM → 5:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM → 6:00 PM

Meet the professional integration team of Acta Vista

Acta Vista is the association leading the restoration of the Citadelle, developing job-integration projects and vocational training programs for individuals distanced from the workforce.
Hear firsthand accounts from employees who have gone through the program and engage in conversation with the team.

Saturday 10:00 AM → 5:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM → 6:00 PM

The 1001 Voices of the Citadelle 

Through readings by writer Valérie Manteau and testimonies gathered throughout the year, The 1001 Voices of the Citadelle invites you to discover the history of the fort and the people who passed through it—from pacifist objectors between the wars to today’s integration project restoring the site.

Saturday – Readings at 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, 4:00 PM

The Liberation of Marseille

On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of Marseille, join the mediation team and members of the the Vauban association to explore the role played by Fort Saint-Nicolas during Operation Dragoon—from the German occupation to the arrival of colonial troops and the Allied victory.

Saturday 10:00 AM → 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM → 6:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM → 6:00 PM

Restoring natural heritage 

Join the mediation team to discover the soil restoration process underway in the fort’s gardens, in collaboration with the  Population Envrionment Development Laboratory (LPED) from Aix-Marseille University.
A chance to preview the upcoming Natural Heritage tour.

Saturday 10:00 AM → 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM → 6:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM → 6:00 PM

Historical European Martial Arts

Have you heard of Historical European Martial Arts? Discover the practice with the medieval fencing school “L’âme Impétueuse”: demonstrations of ancient weapon handling, antique pugilism, and traditional wrestling… For the brave, try combat sports in light armor!

Saturday 10:00 AM → 5:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM → 6:00 PM

Lock Yourself Up!

Experience an immersive tour of the Citadelle’s prison cells equipped with a virtual reality headset. The team from the CNRS Laboratory Models and Simulations for Architecture and Heritage (UPR 2002 MAP) offers an exclusive virtual visit of these spaces, showcasing a larger project of documentation and 3D modeling through digitization.

Saturday 10:00 AM → 5:00 PM

Terrain·s de rêves

The mediation team invites you to explore the open-air exhibition Terrain.s de rêves, Le foot inclusif et plus, created by photographer Franck Pourcel in collaboration with MUST, an LGBTQIA+ multisport association.

Saturday 10:00 AM → 12:30 PM, 2:00 PM → 6:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM → 6:00 PM

Sound Fiction : The Island of dogs

The Island of Dogs is a geo-located audio fiction written by Valérie Manteau and produced by  Les Ensembles 2.2. It invites you on a ghostly walk, immersing you in the mysteries of the Citadelle de Marseille and shedding light on a little-known episode surrounded by myths and suspicions: the occupation of the Citadel by hundreds of animals under the supervision of the Army’s Health and Veterinary Services from 1978 to 2011.

Bring your smartphone and headphones!

Available continuously