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Memorial to the abolition of the slavery of Nantes en Loire-Atlantique

Musée
Musée de l'immigration et de l'esclavagisme

Memorial to the abolition of the slavery of Nantes

    Quai de la Fosse - Passerelle Victor-Schoelcher
    44000 Nantes

Timeline

Époque contemporaine
2000
1983
Creation of *Nantes 85*
1992-1994
Exhibition *The Rings of Memory *
1er mai 1998
Vandalism of a commemorative statue
2000
Launch of the Steering Committee
2005
Presentation of the final draft
25 mars 2012
Opening of the memorial
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Key figures

Jean-Marc Ayrault - Mayor of Nantes (2012) Initiator of the memorial project.
Krzysztof Wodiczko - Artist Designer Creator of engraved glass plates.
Julian Bonder - Memorial architect Co-conceptor with Wodiczko.
Christiane Taubira - Member of Parliament for Guyana (1998-2012) Presented at the inauguration in 2012.
Lilian Thuram - Former hired footballer Guest of honour at the inauguration.
Nicéphore Soglo - Former President of Benin Participation in the 2012 ceremony.
Victor Schœlcher - French Abolitionist Neighbor's bridge named in his honor.

Origin and history

The Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery in Nantes is a monument dedicated to the memory of the slave trade, slavery and its abolition. Inaugurated on 25 March 2012, it is located on the Quai de la Fosse, an emblematic place of the Nantes port history, once one of the main negriers ports of France. The memorial extends under a vegetated promenade of 7,000 m2, with an exhibition area evoking the entreponts of the negrier ships, where 2,000 engraved glass plates trace the history of slavery, especially that linked to Nantes in the 18th century.

The idea of such a memorial emerged in the 1980s with the creation of local associations such as Nantes 85 or Le Triangle d'Ebène, which campaigned for the recognition of the past. In 1992, the exhibition The Rings of Memory at the Château des Ducs de Bretagne marked a turning point. After years of reflection and controversy, including the vandalism of a commemorative statue in 1998, the municipality launched a major project in 2000. Designed by artist Krzysztof Wodiczko and architect Julian Bonder, the memorial replaces the former square René-Siegfried and is inaugurated in the presence of figures such as Jean-Marc Ayrault, Christiane Taubira and Lilian Thuram.

The memorial is part of a collective memory approach, recalling Nantes' central role in the transatlantic trade. Its symbolic location, close to the Victor Schœlcher Bridge (a tribute to the abolitionist), and its access by tram make it both historic and accessible. The glass plates, created in collaboration with Emmanuel Barrois, offer an immersion in the individual and collective narratives of slavery, while honoring the struggles for its abolition.

Prior to its implementation, the project generated debate, including on the place of this memory in public space. The destruction of the 1998 statue and the initial hesitation of the town hall in the 1980s illustrate the tensions surrounding this past. Finally, the memorial embodies an official recognition, transforming a place full of history into a space for reflection and tribute. Its inauguration coincides with a desire for pedagogy and symbolic reparation, in the presence of international personalities such as the former Beninese president Nicéphore Soglo.

External links

Conditions of visit

  • Conditions de visite : Ouvert toute l'année
  • Ouverture : Le Mémorial est un espace public gratuit, ouvert toute l'année.
  • Basse saison : de 9h à 20h du 15 mai au 15 septembre.
  • Haute saison : de 9h à 18h du 16 septembre au 14 mai
  • Contact organisation : 08 11 46 46 44
  • Equipment and Details

    • Accès handicapé
    • Animaux admis
    • Boissons sur place
    • Parking à proximité