The Marseillaise's origin
In 1792, the French Revolution was underway and the war against the monarchy raged. The Mayor of Strasbourg, Baron Dietrich, once suggested that the revolutionaries did not have an official song or anthem to motivate the troops on their journey. When Captain Rouget de Lisle, who also happened to be a musician and poet, knew about this, he wrote in only a single night this song, which was initially called "the war song for the Rhine army". A few months later, volunteers from Marseille sang it throughout their journey to the capital, which lasted a month.
Once in Paris, this song was named by the Parisians " The Marseillais' anthem " before becoming "La Marseillaise".
It was only on July 14, 1795 that it was officially adopted as the national anthem.
Discovering the Marseillaise Memorial
The famous national anthem was first sung in Marseille, but there was no mention of it in the monuments of the Phocaean city. This is now done with the rehabilitation of this building, located on rue Thubaneau, in the Belsunce district, which was formerly the headquarters of the Club des Jacobins. This is where this hymn, which became "La Marseillaise", was first sung in 1792.
Inaugurated in March 2011, this memorial will take you on a journey through the French Revolution and the birth of the Marseillaise.
This monument, entirely renovated, includes a "show tour" retracing the history of these Marseille volunteers through 3 rooms. The first room of the Marseillaises gives access to documents from the time as well as unofficial versions of the famous national anthem. The Grievance Room will introduce you all to the important people of that period who played a more or less important role in the history of the Marseillaise. Finally, the last room is the Jeu de Paume room, which presents the French revolution with a sound and light system.
To buy tickets, you will have to go to the ticket office of the Musée d'Histoire de Marseille, which has been attached since 2013 to the memorial of the Marseillaise located a few steps away.
To visit Marseille in a different way, we recommend you to rent a bike or take the Petit Train de Marseille. And if you have a sense of balance, why not try segway rental?
