Grand Bassam

Grand Bassam

The Historic Town of Grand-Bassam, the first capital of Côte d'Ivoire, is an example of a colonial town of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, designed with commercial, administrative, and residential quarters for Europeans and Africans. The N'zima African fishing village is located on the site, along with colonial architecture featuring functional houses with galleries, verandas and gardens. Grand-Bassam was Côte d'Ivoire's most significant port, economic and judicial center, witness to the complex social relations of the Europeans and Africans, and the later independence movement. Preceding the present-day Côte d'Ivoire as a bustling hub of French trading posts in the Gulf of Guinea, it drew people from all parts of Africa, Europe and the Mediterranean Levant. The town is split into two halves by the Ebrié lagoon: Ancien Bassam is the old French settlement that faces the Gulf of Guinea. Here are the most splendid colonial buildings, several of which have been renovated. It also houses a cathedral and the Ivory Coast National Museum of Costume, housed in the former governor's palace. Nouveau Bassam, connected to Ancien Bassam via a bridge, is located on the northern, landward side of the lagoon. It has grown out of African servant quarters and is today the town's main commercial center. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese. The cathedral of the diocese is the Cathédrale Sacré Cœur of Grand-Bassam.