The city of Saint-Louis, Senegal – Between Tradition and Modernity

Écrit par F.P. le 13 juin 2014. Publié dans ARCHIVES, VERY FAVORITE.

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City of Saint-Louis du Senegal “Ndar” (Wolof) or Saint-Louis, Senegal was the first capital of the country. Classified directory of World Heritage by UNESCO since 2000, the “Venice of Africa” embarked on an ambitious program to renovate its old buildings, thus giving acclaim to this city located 260 km from Dakar, the new Senegalese capital.

Nestled at the mouth of the Senegal River, near the border with Mauritania, it was founded in 1659 on an island 2 km long and 300 m wide, by sailors of Dieppe (Normandy) and was named in the honor of King Louis XIV of France, through his ancestor and namesake Saint Louis.

Today, the peninsula retains many houses, typical of the colonial era, with their facade of limestone, their double roofing tile, their wooden balconies and wrought iron balustrade. Everything seems unique, and time seems to be suspended in this magical city atypical charm where life is good. To believe the former, the Great Mosque is the only one in the world to have a bell and a clock. A St. Louis tradition is never far from modernity. And one can still see carriages, recalling the heyday, move along the city of gleaming automobiles

saint-louis-rue-lebon — St. Louis – Rue Lebon

It is in St. Louis the beautiful Penda Mbaye invented the famous dieun Thiebou become the national dish synonymous with the Senegalese cuisine. It is also in this city that many personalities are born and the Jazz, led by American soldiers at the time of the Second World War, has hatched a whole generation of African jazz. Since then, the International Jazz Festival of St. Louis, founded in 1992, attracts curious and music lovers from around the world.

4 places to see in Saint Louis

The historic district, Ile Saint-Louis, connected by a metal bridge with seven arches, the Faidherbe bridge, neighborhoods Island Sor.
The seat of governance built on the site of an old colonial fort which some walls remain.
Ornithological reserves National Park Langue de Barbarie National Park and Bird Djoud.
The “Pink House“, open in 2003 as part of the renovation projects guesthouse.

F.P.

Polyvalente, je teste pour vous des spas, des lieux atypiques, des produits beauté ou de nouveaux objets destinés à émerveiller notre quotidien. J'aime la vie. Les voyages. La slow food. Le développement personnel. Je suis une jeune femme d'aujourd'hui et de demain.