*** (16/11/2016 17:10)
Fantastic museum that has two separate parts to it. One area, located on the left of the Hotel de Ville, is dedicated to the time period of Prehistoric through the end of the 19th century. The other area, located on the right of the Hotel de Ville, is dedicated to the time period of the beginning of the 20th century until today. The entire tour takes around 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours (longer if you are a history buff). If you don't want to do the entire tour, I would highly suggest going to the early history side. The museum is wonderfully laid out with artifacts dating back before 2 B.C. and replicas of the housing/villages of that time period. The wall panels with the explanations of each time period are vibrant and well written. Many of the areas also have short video clips to give additional information. The most fascinating item is the panel holding the remains of three people who died during the plague that devistated the area in 1720. This is amazing! As you follow the course of the museum, you will be taken through the traces of the first civilization of the area, the period of the Gauls, and the huge industry of fishing that kept the village going. One area has beautiful "then and now" photos. Admission to the museum is free and you may stay as long as you like. The staff is friendly and welcomes any questions you might have. If after visiting this part of the museum and you wish to see the modern area of Martigues, you simply have to exit the doors and walk across the hallway and into the other portion of the museum. Admission is free for this area, as well. In this part of the museum you will see the history of the two world wars, the Resistance, and the modernization of the village. I found this museum to be one of the most fascinating village museums that I've visited. Very calm and inviting and so interesting to read all the great information that they have gathered about the past. The panels are only written in French, but do not let that detour you. My husband does not read French and he was still completely drawn in by the photos, videos and artifacts. Do not skip the museum just because you don't read French. There is a lot to see here and you definitely should not miss it!