Plaque Wording: History of MARSEILLE Le Palais Longchamp Several projects for a "water castle" were developed in the 19th century to develop the Longchamp plateau. It was the one by Henri Espérandieu that was retained in 1861, with new designs combining a water castle with cascades, immortalizing the arrival of waters from the Durance to Marseille, a natural history museum, a fine arts museum, and gardens connected to the botanical garden of acclimatization. The ensemble, built from 1862 to 1869, is a hymn to water as a source of life: it gushes from the central pavilion, flows in cascades, where the Durance (sculpted by Cavelier) appears on a chariot pulled by bulls and Camargue horses. This aquatic decor unfolds in several locations of the building, such as the Barye lions at the entrance, horses, fish, tritons... The palace is one of the most imposing buildings constructed in France in the 19th century. The paintings by Puvis de Chavannes decorate the staircase wing of the Fine Arts museum, those by Raphaël Ponson, the museum wing.