The fossil spring, GR 2013 hiking trail

A walk along a path on the GR 2013 to discover the work of artist Rolland Bellier at the crossroads of the arrival of water in Marseille.

Urban walk along the water

Leaving from Le Merlan

The walk starts at the terminus of the RTM bus (line 34 on weekdays or 33 on Sundays) and as you gain height, you are rewarded with a panoramic view of Marseille, from the very beginnings of the Chaîne de l’Etoile.

Following the Canal de Marseille…

Start by walking along the Avenue Louis Blériot, which continues along the Chemin du Four de Buze. The route follows the meandering course of the Canal de Marseille, taking in the former large estates. Today, in the midst of the villas protected by high fenced walls, a number of new farmers are reclaiming these areas for local urban agriculture, such as Terre de Mars at the end of the impasse du four de Buze. It is precisely at this point that you leave the tarmac road to take a DFCI track, easily identified by the two columns of an old “Notre Dame” campaign.

In search of the fossil spring

After 150 metres, follow the path around a wide bend in an old quarry, and as you go round to the left, look out for an olive tree. The fossil spring lies at its foot.

Next, you need to pick up the track, which changes from a dirt track to a tarmac road. The climb is tough and there are no shady rest stops. But once you reach the plateau, which rises to a height of 280 metres, the 360° view is seductive and inviting.

The Dolvalley basin

The route passes close to the Vallon Dol reservoir, a dam and reservoir containing over 3 million m³ of water from the Verdon, transported by the Canal de Provence. Once past the reservoir, you will have walked 2 km along the DFCI track.

If you continue along this path, you will reach the Saint-Antoine district via the Vallon de la Femme Mort. You can find more information in the “GR2013 Marseille Provence” guidebook. Return by the same route in the opposite direction.

Did you know?

TheRives & Cultures association started out in the Huveaune valley, which is currently undergoing major changes, but today it is responsible for cultural projects in the four cardinal points ofMarseille, which we will come back to later.

Find out more about the fossil source

The work of art

This is a work of art by Roland Bellier. As part of the Manifesta 13 European Biennial for Contemporary Art, to be held in Marseille in 2020, the sculptor has created a participatory installation on the theme of the arrival of water.

An open-air artistic experience

“La source fossile” is a poetic mineral expression that seeks to show the intimate relationship between nature and human beings. The work invites walkers to find it, and then to take part in revealing the dormant colour of a blue Brazilian Macauba quartzite, by spraying it with a trickle of water. The liquid will bring out the polished veins and intense blue reflections of this very hard stone, which is rarely used in sculpture. The effect is striking: it’s as if the water is actually gushing out of the rock.

Installation at the crossroads of water supply in Marseille

The choice of location was no accident: the Sainte-Marthe district is the point of union between Marseille and the Alps, where three 3 precious canals converge:

The Canal de Marseille, which runs from the Durance River to supply all the city’s districts with drinking water via a large number of monumental infrastructures, was brought into service in the summer of 1849 and was Marseille’s sole source of water until 1970.

The Canal de Provence, which harnesses the waters of the Verdon to provide drinking water for many of the region’s municipalities, as well as for agriculture and industry. In Marseille, this water is stored in the Vallon Dol reservoir.

La galerie de la mer, a little-known underground tunnel linked to the old Biver coal mine. Equipped with a railway line that carried coal to Marseille for several years, it allows mine seepage water to be evacuated without pumping and prevents the Biver and other shafts from flooding.