MUSÉE DÉPARTEMENTAL VICTOR SCHOELCHER

This neoclassical building in colored limestone, whose construction began in 1885, is easy to spot. It has two storeys, a yellow façade and blue railings. It was inaugurated on July 21, 1887, Saint Victor's Day and the eve of Victor Schoelcher's ^83rd birthday. In honor of this fervent republican, art critic and architect of the last abolition of slavery, July 21 is considered a public holiday in Guadeloupe, with only government offices closed. Victor Schoelcher, a lover of ancient art, donated part of his personal collections to the Conseil départemental de la Guadeloupe in 1883 to create a museum. This was to be the first museum on the island and in overseas France.

Victor Schoelcher's donations were supplemented by deposits from the French government. This mix of heterogeneous objects and works evoking the great Western artistic movements was enriched by objects from the popular arts and traditions of the different regions Victor Schoelcher had visited (Mexico, the Caribbean, Egypt, Senegal...) and from the history of slavery.
The Musée Départemental d'Art et d'Histoire Victor Schoelcher is one of 18 emblematic heritage sites on the "La Route de l'Esclave - Traces mémoires en Guadeloupe", a memorial circuit created by the Conseil Départemental to promote a better understanding of the archipelago's painful history. It is part of UNESCO's international "Slave Route" project.