Fort-De-France
The Schoelcher Library, across from La Savane, was designed by French architect Henri Picq for the Paris exposition of 1889, then later disassembled and shipped to the island. The building is named for Victor Schoelcher, a French abolitionist who helped end slavery in Martinique in the mid-1800s. A statue of Schoelcher stands at the entrance to the Camille Darsières Cultural Center, the former Court of Justice Building at the corner of rues Schoelcher and Moreau de Jones.
On Rue Schoelcher is the 1895 Saint-Louis Cathedral, a neo-classical church featuring Byzantine décor, stained-glass windows and a massive pipe organ. Built upon the site of six previous churches, the iron structure was designed to withstand fire, earthquake and hurricane. The Sacré-Coeur de Balata basilica is in the suburbs north of Fort-de-France.
Attractions
Balata Botanical Gardens (Jardin de Balata)Pre-Columbian Archaeological and Prehistory Museum