Location and site

Founded as a French colonial settlement in the 17th century, Saint-Louis was urbanised in the mid-19th century. It was the capital of Senegal from 1872 to 1957 and played an important cultural and economic role in the whole of West Africa. The location of the town on an island at the mouth of the Senegal River, its regular town plan, the system of quays, and the characteristic colonial architecture give Saint-Louis its distinctive appearance and identity.

Urban morphology

The designated property covers the entire area of the Island of Saint-Louis, including the banks and quays, as well as the Faidherbe Bridge. The Island is articulated in three parts: the North quarter, the South quarter and the Place Faidherbe with the Government Palace in the centre. The Island is surrounded by a system of quays that serve as a reference for all the streets in the east-west direction.  With its military barrack style, the government seat (built on the ancient fort of the city) comprises the orthogonal centre of a perfectly regular urban plan. The magnificent « balconied houses », the « gallery houses » and beautiful Signares as well as the rare « Portuguese « maison basses » » give the city its aesthetic quality and identity. The majestic Faidherbe Bridge, the spans of which were imported from France in separate parts in 1897, has in no way modified the urban plan.  Thanks to its regular layout, its system of quays and  its high quality colonial architecture, the Island of Saint-Louis comprises a remarkable example of a colonial city with stylistic unity and urban homogeneity based on typologies and town planning principles inherited from the colonial administration.

Registration criteria

Criterion (ii): The historic town of Saint-Louis exhibits an important exchange of values and influences on the development of education and culture, architecture, craftsmanship, and services in a large part of West Africa.

Criterion (iv): The Island of Saint-Louis, a former capital of West Africa, is an outstanding example of a colonial city, characterized by its particular natural setting, and it illustrates the development of colonial government in this region.

Historical reference

• First French chartered company on the Atlantic coast of African in 1659
• Capital of Senegal from 1872 to 1957 : political capital of the colony and French West Africa (FWA) up until 1902, and capital of Senegal and Mauritania up until 1957, before falling into decline due to the transfer of the capital to Dakar

Source : https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/956/