Château de la Buzine

The Château de la Buzine is a 19th-century château located in the 11th arrondissement of Marseille, France. It owes its fame to the writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, who featured it in his childhood memoirs and later owned it. Since 2010 it has housed the Maison des cinématographies de la Méditerranée, a cultural venue managed under a public service delegation with the City of Marseille, which owns the property. The estate's history stretches back centuries: in the 14th and 15th centuries the domain belonged to the Diodé family; in 1667 Henry de Buzens, a squire of Marseille, gave it the name La Buzine. In 1865 Pierre-Hilaire Curtil, a Marseille architect-entrepreneur, bought the domain, demolished the old bastide and built the present château in an eclectic style close to that of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc. Completed in 1869, it was sold to shipowner Victor Régis and passed through several owners before Marcel Pagnol acquired it on 21 July 1941, intending to create a 'Cité du cinéma'. The German army requisitioned it during World War II, and after various occupancies it fell into disrepair. In 1973 Pagnol sold the estate to developer Kaufman & Broad, which built 249 villas on the land. In 1995 the City of Marseille bought the remaining château and park, and it was listed as a monument historique in 1997. After restoration, the new building was inaugurated in June 2011. Today the Château de la Buzine operates as a cultural center offering exhibitions, cinema screenings, events, youth activities, a restaurant, guided tours, school programs, and private event rentals. It is a unique venue in Provence, celebrating the legacy of Marcel Pagnol and Mediterranean film culture.

The domain of La Buzine, spanning from Saint-Menet to Les Camoins, was held by the Diodé family in the 14th and 15th centuries. In 1457, the ploughman Guillaume Cabofigue bought a large part of the property and ceded the southern part to Guillaume Reynard, who took the name La Reynarde in his honour. In 1667, Henry de Buzens, squire of the city of Marseille, named it 'La Buzine'. In the 18th century it was still a typical bastide belonging to the de Flotte family, who had it confiscated after emigrating during the Revolution. During the First Empire, a descendant of the family strove to reconstitute the entire property by acquiring the lots of her ancestors. In 1865, Pierre-Hilaire Curtil, a Marseille architect-entrepreneur, bought the domain from the de Flotte family, demolished the old bastide and, on its foundations, built the present château in an eclectic style close to that of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc ('Louis XIII mâtiné de romano-byzantin'). Thanks to water from the Marseille canal, it was surrounded by a park planted with rare trees, numerous basins and fountains, as well as meadows and fields, covering about 40 hectares. Upon completion of the works in 1869, Curtil sold La Buzine to the merchant-shipowner Victor Régis (also owner, with his brother Louis, of the two other residences of Saint-Menet: the Château de la Reynarde and the Château Régis), who then passed it on in 1883 to his natural son, the industrialist Joseph-Théodore Mante, brother-in-law of Edmond Rostand. After him came Jean-Charles Camous (1889), the Pallez family, who added a wing in 1903 (music salon in 1901) and held many parties and concerts during the Belle Époque, then de Giry Leboffe in 1919 and the Crédit de France in 1936 as successive owners. On 21 July 1941, Marcel Pagnol, who as a child had crossed these properties to go with his parents to their holiday home at La Treille (a period described in his novel Le Château de ma mère), bought the domain to make it a 'Cité du cinéma' with film sets, housing for crews, workshops, etc. But the following year, the château was requisitioned by the German army, which installed 'La maison de repos du marin allemand' there during the Occupation; then, at the Liberation, an FTP patrol occupied the premises. Part of the staff of the French Army replaced them, before giving way to a military infirmary, a company of soldiers, then the army again, and finally the Conseil général de Pologne. After a period of vacancy, Spanish refugees lived there for a few years. After their departure, the house became unsanitary and uninhabitable. Marcel Pagnol then resolved to sell the domain and its forty hectares in 1973 to the developer Kaufman & Broad, which in 1982 built 249 villas there (the 'Parc des Sept Collines'). In 1991, an association was created to save what remained of the château, abandoned in the centre of the housing estate but still bordered by a five-hectare park. Four years later it was bought by the City of Marseille, which had it listed in the inventory of monuments historiques on 13 January 1997. In 2001, the City of Marseille launched an international restoration competition won by Stern International and the architect André Stern. After restoration that began in 2006, the new building was inaugurated in June 2011. The City of Marseille made it a Maison des cinématographies de la Méditerranée. This establishment includes: a cinema hall, built in the old style with balcony and orchestra, which can accommodate 350 people; an exhibition room in the former music salon, created at the beginning of the 20th century and restored; a library-videotheque space equipped with touch screens, which has specialised works on cinema, archive images, documents, etc. Nicolas Pagnol, the writer's grandson, managed the château for six years; under his direction, attendance quintupled and the site reached financial equilibrium. In June 2023, the mayor of Marseille Benoît Payan decided not to renew his contract with Nicolas Pagnol. The souvenirs that were exhibited there were then returned to their rightful owners.

• 2023

  Mayor Benoît Payan decides not to renew Nicolas Pagnol's contract.

• 2011

  The restored building is inaugurated in June.

• 2006

  Restoration work begins.

• 2001

  Marseille launches an international restoration competition won by André Stern.

• 1997

  The château is listed as a monument historique on 13 January.

• 1995

  The City of Marseille buys the château and its park.

• 1991

  An association is created to save the château.

• 1982

  249 villas are built on the estate (Parc des Sept Collines).

• 1973

  Marcel Pagnol sells the domain to Kaufman & Broad.

• 1942

  The château is requisitioned by the German army.

• 1941

  Marcel Pagnol buys the domain on 21 July to create a 'Cité du cinéma'.

• 1903

  The Pallez family adds a wing to the château.

• 1901

  A music salon is added by the Pallez family.

• 1883

  Victor Régis passes the property to his son Joseph-Théodore Mante.

• 1869

  Construction completed; Curtil sells La Buzine to Victor Régis.

• 1865

  Pierre-Hilaire Curtil buys the domain and builds the present château.

• 1667

  Henry de Buzens names the domain 'La Buzine'.

• 1457

  Guillaume Cabofigue buys a large part of the domain and cedes the southern part to Guillaume Reynard.

A unique cultural venue in Provence dedicated to cinema and the legacy of Marcel Pagnol, offering exhibitions, screenings, events, and dining in a historic monument.

• Cinema hall (350 seats)

  A cinema hall built in the old style with balcony and orchestra.

• Exhibition room

  Located in the former music salon, created at the beginning of the 20th century and restored.

• Library-videotheque

  Equipped with touch screens, containing specialised works on cinema, archive images, documents, etc.

1. 1Accueil | La buzine - Un lieu unique en Provence - Ville de Marseillelabuzine.marseille.fr
2. 2Château de la Buzinewikidata.org
3. 3Château de la Buzinefr.wikipedia.org