From 1835 to 1986, La Ciotat built ships, notably tankers and LNG carriers. Bankruptcy, then the occupation of the site by its workers until 1994, preceded a conversion towards the maintenance and repair of large yachts. The site now handles several dozen very large vessels a year and employs more than a thousand people. Several of its cranes, including the Grand Portique, belong to the industrial heritage.
The House of Shipbuilding, an association devoted to the memory of shipbuilding in La Ciotat, runs a site visit: a presentation on the history of the yards, a film on ship launches, then a bus route inside the site with several stops. It is one of the few ways to enter the industrial perimeter legally, as the area is not open to free circulation.
Other experiences in Vieux Port de La Ciotat
Thirty-eight hectares at the heart of the Bandol appellation, in the same family since 1834, and an estate bound up with the rise of mourvedre in Provence.
Culture & HeritageEden-Theatre, the world's oldest cinema still in operationAn 1889 venue listed as a historic monument, where the first paying film screening in La Ciotat was held in 1899. Group visits and private hire of the auditorium are possible.