Martigues

Martigues is a French commune in Bouches-du-Rhône in Provence , also known by the nickname “Venice of Provence”. It stretches along the banks of the Etang de Berre and the Caronte canal . It is made up of three districts (Jonquières, Ferrières and L’île) and several villages. The inhabitants are called Martégaux and Martégales .

Government
Country	France
Region	Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
Department	Bouches-du-Rhône
Canton	Martigues
Mayor (2020–2026)	Gaby Charroux
Area¹	71.44 km² (27.58 sq mi)
Population (2017-01-01)	48,188
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)

Economy

Companies

Four poles accommodate the majority of businesses in the municipality: the whole of Lavéra-La Mède , the Martigues Sud area on the south shore of the Caronte canal at the foot of the Martigues viaduct and the Caronte / Croix-Sainte and Technopolis areas on the north bank of the canal.

Tourism

Tourism is an activity in full development in Martigues in particular since the classification of the commune in “seaside and tourist resort”.

The study of previous periods shows a growing tourism with the increase in the number of requests for information on the sites of the tourist office

Beach-related activities are growing strongly. In 2003, the hotel capacity was 900 people per day and that of the campsites for 6,000 people per day^.Pleasure boating has several ports which accommodated 1,773 boats in 2004.

Fisheries and agriculture

Fishing

The Martigues maritime affairs district stretches from Sausset les Pins to the eastern limit of the department. It has 200 small-scale fishing vessels, 30 trawlers and 610 sailors.

The port of Carro, the first regional fishing port, plays a key role in the Martigues district. It has 24 points of sale (out of a total of 45 for Martigues and a total of 96 for the whole district).

Agriculture

The agricultural plain of Saint-Pierre / Saint-Julien covers 974 hectares. It has 10 farmers, about twenty multi-active but only 3 households live there fully from agriculture. The fields are mainly cultivated by plowing (cereals, vegetables, etc.) and vines. Livestock, orchards and market gardening are marginal.

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.

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

Education

Public education

The city operates 14 kindergartens which. The department manages 4 colleges and the region 2 high schools.

Private education

Private education has three important structures in Martigues: the LPP Brise-Lames since 1948, the AQFA-School of Hairdressing and Aesthetics and the National Center of Technical Arts.

The LPP Brise-Lame has 290 enrolled in 8 courses: CAP Sales, CAP Cuisine, Professional Baccalaureate Marketing and Catering Services, Professional Baccalaureate in Cuisine, Professional Baccalaureate in Administration (European section), Professional Baccalaureate in Sales (European section), Professional Baccalaureate in Commerce (European section) and BTS Tourism.

The AQFA has 36 registered in 4 sectors: CAP Hairdressing, CAP Esthétique / Cosmétique, BP Coiffure and BP Esthétique / Cosmétique.

Finally, the National Center for Technical Arts has 86 enrolled in 6 streams: CAP and BP Esthetics, CAP and BP Hairdressing, CAP Water Quality Agent and Bac Professional Specialized Commerce and Cosmetics.

National School of Petroleum and Engines training French Institute of Petroleum Industry

The ENSPM Formation Industrie – IFP is a subsidiary of the French Petroleum Institute which provides training to executives and technicians in industry. It offers initial training courses for operators of the chemical and petroleum industries, initial training courses in work-study training for technicians in the petrochemical industry, technical advanced training courses specializing in the maintenance and management of manufacturing and long training (technical and scientific) in chemical engineering.

Health

Martigues has a hospital center comprising the Rayettes hospital, the Vallon hospital, 6 psychiatric structures and a home nursing service.

Local Culture and Heritage

Gastronomy

The best known Martigues specialty is bottarga , also called “Caviar native of Martigues”. These are dried eggs of mule fish.
The AOC Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence, La Venise Provençale , has been produced by the Saint-Julien-les-Martigues cooperative since 1986 at a rate of 11,000 hl . This part of the AOC vineyards (250 hectares) is the one located closest to the sea.

Cultural events and festivities

Every summer, Provençal jousting competitions take place on the canals.
Since 1989 , between July and August, takes place the “Festival of Martigues: Dances, Music and Voices of the World.
On June 27, takes place the feast of Saint-Pierre (the patron saint of fishermen). All day long, various varied activities take place as well as a commemoration on the Berre pond. The day is a public holiday for the various services dependent on the City.

Civil monuments

Many houses have picturesque facades along the quays and within the Island which has benefited from the Town Hall’s renovation programs. In particular, the Maison en Chapeau de Gendarme along the Saint-Sébastien canal,
The Caronte Bridge ,
The Martigues viaduct ,
The fort of Bouc monitors the entrance of the Caronte Canal,
The Castle of Ponteau ,
The Colla de Pradines hotel.

Archaeological sites

The territory of the city is home to many archaeological sites and Martigues has its own archeology department. The latter carries out numerous excavations every year which have revealed a rich past. The main sites listed are:

The lakeside village of Albion.
The Barboussade site.
The neolithic site of La Baume Longue.
The villa of Beaumenière.
The Bonnieu site.
The Mesolithic site of La Cacharelle.
The Campeu site.
The Canto-Perdrix site.
The Collet Redon site .
The villa of La Couronne-Vieille.
The Escourillon site .
The necropolis of La Gatasse.
The Gallic villages under the Île quarter.
The villa of Lavaux, etc.

Sports

Martigues has 91 clubs in 60 disciplines and 11,200 licensees, 86 agents and 70 educators for the municipal sports service and numerous facilities (including 17 floodlit stadiums and 11 gymnasiums).

The three main clubs are the Football Club de Martigues (National, see below), Martigues Volley-Ball (Pro B) and Martigues Sport Athlétisme (N1 A ).

Running

La Martigues-Carro is a running event taking place during the summer between Martigues and the village of Carro. It is 16.370 km long and includes in particular the ascent of the Col de la Gatasse. In 2009, a thousand runners took part.