{"id":15330,"date":"2021-07-22T12:22:41","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T10:22:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kanaga-at.com\/trip-info\/senegal-2\/the-colonial-town-of-saint-louis\/"},"modified":"2022-05-19T19:11:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-19T17:11:18","slug":"the-colonial-town-of-saint-louis","status":"publish","type":"info_viaggi","link":"https:\/\/www.kanaga-at.com\/en\/trip-info\/senegal-en\/the-colonial-town-of-saint-louis\/","title":{"rendered":"The colonial town of Saint Louis"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

\u00a9 I. Fornasiero<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

The city of Saint-Louis is a historical testimony to the ambitious colonial expansionism in West Africa<\/b>.<\/span> Founded in 1659 by Louis Caullier on <\/b>the<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0Ndar<\/b> Island<\/b>, it was the first French urban settlement on the African continent.<\/b><\/p>\r\n

It began as a trading station and military outpost, but soon became an important cosmopolitan urban centre, a stronghold of the encounter between European and African cultures<\/b>, a symbol of deep social and anthropological changes based on “<\/span>metissage<\/i>“.<\/p>\r\n

The metallic Faidherbe bridge<\/b>, called the ‘<\/span>horizontal Eiffel Tower’, connects the island to the mainland and was designed in<\/span> 1897 by \u00c9mile Nouguier, although legend has it that Eiffel himself designed it. It is the <\/span>symbol of the city and a remarkable example of <\/span>19th century industrial engineering, with the central part rotating on itself to allow the passage of ships. Immediately after the bridge is the historic Hotel de la Poste<\/b>, a hotel where airline pilots stayed during the colonial era, including Saint-Exupery and Mermoz. Further on is the monumental Governor’s Palace<\/b>, flanked by the Rogn\u00e2t Casernes <\/b>dating from 1837. Not far away is the neo-classical Cathedral <\/b>and to the north the curious Grande Mosqu\u00e9e<\/b>, with an adjacent Christian bell tower, erected in 1847.<\/p>\r\n

A typical horse-drawn carriage made of coloured iron <\/b>will take you around the colonial alleyways of Saint Louis, where you will discover beautiful views, pastel-coloured houses with wooden or wrought-iron balconies covered in bougainvillea, panoramic views over the river and the spectacular Faidherbe bridge, the old military outposts and the fish market <\/b>with its traditional fishermen’s quarter. The pleasant day will end with a good thieboudijenne, <\/i><\/b>Senegal’s national dish, in one of the city’s historic restaurants.<\/p>\r\n

But Saint-Louis also offers cultural events and shows<\/b>, such as the <\/span>annual Saint-Louis Jazz Festival <\/b>in May, a major event that attracts jazz musicians and enthusiastic visitors from all over the world. Not infrequently, this event also includes the famous and historic Fanale <\/i><\/b>procession, huge lanterns traditionally carried by the servants of the Signares <\/i><\/b>(Senegal’s new social class, elevated in rank by concubinage with French officials), which can otherwise be seen at Christmas time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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