Powder

Timeline

Heritage classified

Origin and history

The Poudrière de Cayenne is a military building built in 1865 behind the former government hotel (now prefecture), to replace a first powder magazine built on Fort Ceperou in 1749. This rectangular building (23 m x 14.15 m, 8.5 m high) consists of a vestibule divided into five niches for fireworks, a large storage room, and a peripheral decompression corridor subdivided into ten ducts. Its terracotta tiled roof and unburied walls – contrary to the standards for a powder keg – suggest an unfinished construction, although old maps represent it as semi-entered. Two phases of construction are mentioned, with the late addition of a foothill to the east and an eastward expansion.

With a storage capacity of 94,600 kg, this powder magazine reflects Guyana's military logistics needs in the 19th century, a period marked by strategic stakes related to the French colonial presence. The building, owned by the department, was listed by decree of 10 April 1989 for its functional architecture and its role in local history. Its current location, at the approximate address of the 8 Impasse of 8 May 1945, corresponds to the old site behind the prefecture, highlighting its integration into the urban fabric of Cayenne.

Available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) mention inconsistencies between the initial and final plans, including the absence of landfill planned to limit the risk of explosion. Despite these peculiarities, the powder magazine remains a rare testimony of the military infrastructure of the period in Guyana, where climatic and geographical conditions strongly influenced the constructions. Its current status and openness to the public are not specified in the documents consulted.

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