And suddenly, the sound of the 9-meter waterfall echoes in our ears. The discreet Aygalades waterfall is revealed after a short walk from the Cité des arts de la rue in Marseille which, on the occasion of the Heritage Days, will show this weekend this still too secret site installed at the bottom of a valley. , in the northern districts. “It’s the only waterfall in Marseille,” says Jean-François Marc, gardener artist. With around ten people from the integration project, including women from the neighboring city, he has been working since 2016 to bring nature back to this site, a former industrial wasteland.
“We have postcards of the waterfall in the 19th century, it was a place for the Marseille bourgeoisie to walk,” he continues. Aygalades means large waters. Above, there was the Falque castle, a large French garden around it. It was a hunting lodge of King René in the 15th century, redeveloped four centuries later by the Falque family, who also made the second Prado. »No need to look for traces of the castle: it disappeared with the construction of the A7 in the 1940s, and it is said that there is still under the motorway the ground floor of the building, even some buried treasures.
Ruins of an old mill
On the site of the waterfall, only the ruins of an old mill can be seen today, eaten up by vegetation. The tuff bar to the right of the waterfall dates from the last ice age. “If we made cuts, we would find all the vegetation from this period, we also found an elephant tooth!”, Smiles the gardener. On the day after a storm, the water in the waterfall is brownish. But even when it is transparent, there is no question of bathing, as the water remains polluted by years of industrial environment.
The night rains also brought back a lot of waste, behind the scenes of the Aygalades waterfall and the stream, which has its source in Septèmes-les-Vallons, before being captured by the Lafarge factory to supply its cement factory, in order to finally jump into the sea at the level of the CMA-CGM tower, “We must also show reality,” says Jean-François Marc, who when visitors are disappointed reminds them of the right things to do. -vis of nature.
Water releases
For heritage days, the waterfall will be dressed in its finery. Cleaned of waste, and especially abundant thanks to a release of water. “Mediterranean rivers are capricious, subject to rainfall,” recalls the gardener, who has also planted a Mediterranean garden on the site.
“Ultimately, we are aiming for a public opening of the waterfall garden, under the leadership of the city of Marseille, owner of the site, hopes Aude Vandenbrouck, secretary general of the City of street arts, which brings together around ten structures. We talk a lot about downtown areas to restore and promote a return to the quality of life in urban areas, we want these contemporary issues to also be present in the northern neighborhoods. “
* The Aygalades waterfall is open to visitors on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for heritage days. Possibility to register for a guided tour at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The site is also accessible every first Sunday of the month from 9 am to 2 pm during the “Un Dimanche aux Aygalades” event, and every Wednesday from 1 pm to 5 pm (access via 32 bis rue augustin Roux only).