History of the Belle de Mai site
The “Belle de Mai” district was originally called Saint-Charles, the name of the hill at the bottom of which it is located.
In the XIXth century, when the site was attached to the city of Marseille, it was still dominated by many gardens and orchards where roses grew. Little girls sold them to buy some candies. Every year, during the same season, a little girl was elected as “Belle de Mai” ( May pretty girl ). It gave the actual name of the district. But the name of “Belle de Mai” can also be the derived of “Vinea bela de mai” which is the name of a late vine.
During that century, the district was transformed, with the first manufacturing plants, as the sugar plant ( “Les sucres Saint-Charles ), matches plant, rubber plant, etc... the rural aspect will gradually disappear and will give way to a district almost exclusively of working industries.
In 1840, the “Boulevard Nationnal” ( Nationnal Boulevard ) was built. It connects the “Belle de Mai” district to the autonomous port, it makes easier the transport of raw materials from the port to the plants, then the transport of the processed products from the plants to the port.
From 1868, the most important french plant of tobacco, the SEITA, installs itself on the site of the old sugar plant, taking advantage of the rail service, twenty years after the inauguration of Saint-Charles train station ( in 1848 ).
The plant will have, during its existence, two major extensions, those of 1880 and 1930 after the increase of consumption of tobacco smoking, especially during the First World War. The building had an area of 12 hectares in 1990.
The social aspect of the site was also changing. The district was populated by dockers and especially by Italian immigrants fleeing the misery in Tuscany. The Unionism, was also born there, and the mayor of the district, Clovis Hugues, in 1881 became the first socialist workers' deputy at the parliament.
The growth experienced by the tobacco factory in 1960 was followed by a long period of decline, after which the direction closes the site and transfered the production to Vitrolles, leaving behind a wasteland and a district economically disadvantaged.
NOWADAYS
Now, the old tobacco plant of SEITA became the "Friche de la Belle de Mai" a place of artistic creation and diffusion of great importance in Marseille. This is a very nice reusing and management of urban space. Now, the identity of the district isn't industrial but cultural and it is an identity that will stick to these places for a long time.
There is also the INA, the municipal archives, Radio Grenouille, the recording studios, multimedia companies, associations arts and film studios including the famous and fictional district Mistral of the series “Plus Belle la Vie” and also restaurants, a skate park and all the shops that give life to the district of the “Belle de Mai”.
The Belle de Mai site
Since the cinema has been invented, Marseilles plays an important role in France's Film Industry. Indeed in 1885 the Lumière brothers started filming on Marseilles famous promenade. And in 1937 Marcel Pagnol created the Studios Pagnol. A lot of movies filmed in Marseilles are shot outside.
Very famous movies were shot in Marseilles, as « Borsalino », « The French Connection » and « Taxi ».
Today Marseille Studios are located in the Belle de Mai. In 2012, 15% of the shooting in France are done in the PACA region. With 900 businesses and 12 000 workers, the multimedia pole has an income of 1.2 billion euros.
In the area of La Belle de mai, near transport infrastructures (train station, airport...), in 2004 the city of Marseilles transformed an old warehouse into a brand new space dedicated to audiovisual industries of multimedia and culture.
This project is executed in partnership with Europe, France , the PACA region, « the Conseil Général des Bouches du Rhône »,the « Communauté Urbaine Marseille Provence Métropole », and the « EPA Euroméditerranée ».
On this site of 120 000 m2, there are three buildings :The heritage center, media park and la Friche. In this creation center, artists, dancers, musicians, directors daily frequent headmasters of creation, production, edition and content distribution businesses, consultants, technical service providers, animation and promotion structures.
I- The Heritage center
The heritage center is composed of three heritage preservation major institutions.
First, there is the Inter-Regional center of Heritage Preservation and Restauration, equipped with theatre technology, research techniques for the restoration of artwork. Most of it comes from the Louvre or the Château de Versailles.
Secondly, the National audiovisual institute manages radio and regional public television programmes in order to promote the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'azur and Corsica's audiovisual history. The National institute of audiovisual also projects to create Euro-Mediterranean documentary library.
Finally, the city of Marseilles archives protects documents and collections that show 2600 years of history of the oldest city in France.
II-Media park
The Media park was created in 2004, it measures 23 000 m². It has become the place to work in the multimedia and sound industry.
The Media park is managed by Groupe TSF, Groupe Image and Les films du Soleil. The soap opera « Plus Belle la Vie » produced by France 3 and TelFrance has been filmed in Marseille Studios for two years now.
A local 24-hour television broadcaster, La Chaîne Marseille (LCM) has also chosen
the media park to shoot in .
Furthermore, more than thirty companies have found the perfect conditions for their installation and growth : Cityvox, Mobile Distillery, TSF, Kezia, Néocom Multimédia, Mail Club, Voxinzebox, Euro RSCG Compagnie 360...
In two years, they have generated more than 600 new jobs.
The site is developing into a point of convergence between content and technologies, a place where creators and design engineers can create and innovate.
The Belle de Mai Media park has become a meeting point which brings together startups and large international groups, as well as designers, developers and distributors of products, services and solutions. It plays a crucial role as an innovation accelerator.
III-La Friche
This site was created in the early 1990s and it measures 45 000 m2 . La Friche is a center for contemporary, cultural and artistic activities in every kind of ways: resident theatre troupes, cabaret, circus and theatre, modern musicals, dance, cinema, visual and digital arts, artistic workshops and exhibitions…
The goal of the center is to « put the artists back to the heart of the city ».Today, almost 60 companies have relocated here, representing some 400 professionals. La Friche has developed 180 international partnerships, organises 500 events and delivers 30,000 hours of training each year. It hosts 1,000 artists and more than 100,000 spectators and visitors on an annual basis.
Today this site is also composed by « La Cartonnerie » a 2,600 m2 entertainment centre, a
250 m2 rehearsal studio and a 600 m2 restaurant/book store in addition to an office space.
Sources :
http://www.belledemai.com/
http://www.thelocationguide.com/
http://www.ccimp.com/
Solène B.
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