Museum Foundation 1972 (≈ 1972)
Created by Christmas Mailliary in the old train station.
décembre 2002
Temporary closure
Temporary closure décembre 2002 (≈ 2002)
Death of the founder, Noël Mailliary.
2004
Museum reopening
Museum reopening 2004 (≈ 2004)
Resumed by the CPPVA association.
2018–2019
Restoration of a drainage
Restoration of a drainage 2018–2019 (≈ 2019)
Braisine fully renovated.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Noël Mailliary - Founder of the museum
Creator in 1972, died in 2002.
Marc Bergman - President of CPCVA (2004–2016)
First President after reopening.
Luc Saretto - Current President of the CPCVA
Successor of Marc Bergman.
Origin and history
The Provencal Museum of Urban and Regional Transport (M.P.T.U.R.) is a space dedicated to transport vehicles: wagons, trams, trolleybuses, locomotives and mining equipment. Located in the old station of La Barque-Fuveau, closed, it occupies a historic site of fork of the lines Carnoules-Gardanne and Aubagne-La Barque. This place, located in the Bouches-du-Rhône, illustrates the regional railway importance in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Founded in 1972 by Noël Mailliary († 2002), the museum was temporarily closed in December 2002 after its death. It reopened in 2004 thanks to the Provencal Conservatory of the Heritage of Ancient Vehicles (CPPVA), initially led by Marc Bergman (2004–2016), then by Luc Saretto. The museum offers small train routes (60 cm way) and demonstrations of model steam trains, while at the same time restaurant emblematic rooms such as a Chausson bus or a braisine with arms.
The M.P.T.U.R.'s collections cover a variety of vehicles, reflecting the evolution of transport in Provence. The site, opened on Sundays, combines heritage preservation and tourist activities, such as Le petit train de Sainte-Victoire. Its anchoring in a disused station highlights the link between industrial memory and cultural enhancement, typical of regional technical museums.
