French colonial architecture includes several styles of architecture used by the French during colonization. French Colonial architecture has a long history, beginning in North America in 1604 and being most active in the Western Hemisphere (Caribbean, Guiana, Canada, Louisiana) until the 19th century, when the French turned their attention more to Africa, Asia, and Oceania. [1]
Many former French colonies, especially those in Southeast Asia, have previously been reluctant to promote their colonial architecture as an asset for tourism; however, in recent times,[ when? ] the new generation[ which? ] of local authorities has somewhat "embraced" the architecture and has begun to advertise it. [2]
In the former French Equatorial Africa, Brazzaville, the capital of Congo, and Douala, the largest city of Cameroon have many French colonial buildings.
19th and early 20th-century French colonial architecture is typical of the European districts in former French North African countries including most Algerian and Tunisian cities, as well as Casablanca, Morocco. In the mid-20th-century, Algiers became an important center for Modernist architecture.
French colonial architecture is found in many large and mid-sized former French West African cities, with a particularly significant concentration in the former capital city, Saint-Louis, Senegal.
French colonisation of three countries in mainland Southeast Asia—Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, known as Indochina in the 19th and 20th centuries, left a lasting architectural legacy. Most French colonial buildings, now mostly transformed for public use, are located in large urban areas, namely Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), and Phnom Penh (Cambodia).
There are also some colonial buildings were built in China due to French concessions and other interests in the country during 19th and 20th centuries.
Various colonial buildings and constructions have become popular tourist destinations. Major landmarks that have become icons of cities including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City include:
French settlements in Canada date back to the mid-16th century until the French defeat in Seven Years' War where New France was annexed by the British Crown in 1763 as a result of the Treaty of Paris. The settlements in the regions were extensive, hence the abundant architectural legacy from that period shows itself particularly in Quebec City but also in the city of Montreal, which has a significant Canadien population. Most buildings constructed during the French colonial period utilized a heavy timber frame of logs installed vertically on a sill, poteaux-sur-sol , or into the earth, poteaux-en-terre . An infill of lime mortar or clay mixed with small stones (pierrotage) or a mixture of mud, moss, and animal hair (bousillage) was used to pack between the logs. Many times the infill would later be replaced with brick. This method of construction was used in the Illinois Country as well as Louisiana. General characteristics of a French Colonial dwelling included a raised basement which would support the floor of the home's primary living quarters. Exterior stairs were another common element; the stairs would often climb up to a distinctive, full-length veranda or "gallery", on a home's façade. The roof over the veranda was normally part of the overall roof. French Colonial roofs were either a steep hipped roof, with a dormer or dormers, or a side-gabled roof. The veranda or gallery was often accessed via French doors. French Colonial homes in the American South commonly had stuccoed exterior walls. [4]
French Colonial was one of four domestic architectural styles that developed during the colonial period in what would become the United States. The other styles were Colonial Georgian, Dutch Colonial, and Spanish Colonial. French Colonial developed in the settlements of the Illinois Country and French Louisiana. It is believed to have been primarily influenced by the building styles of French Canada and the Caribbean. [5] It had its beginnings in 1699 with the establishment of French Louisiana but continued to be built after Spain assumed control of the colonial territory in 1763. Styles of building that evolved during the French colonial period include the Creole cottage, Creole townhouse, and French Creole plantation house. [6]
Phnom Penh is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, industrial, and cultural centre. Before Phnom Penh became capital city, Oudong was the capital of the country.
Ho Chi Minh City, commonly known as Saigon, is the most populous city in Vietnam, with a population of around 10 million in 2023. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigon River. As a municipality, Ho Chi Minh City consists of 16 urban districts, five rural districts, and one municipal city (sub-city). As the largest financial centre in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City has the largest gross regional domestic product out of all Vietnam provinces and municipalities, contributing around a quarter of the country's total GDP. Ho Chi Minh City's metropolitan area is ASEAN's 6th largest economy, also the biggest outside an ASEAN country capital.
Ernest Hébrard (1875–1933) was a French architect, archaeologist and urban planner, best known for his urban plan for the center of Thessaloniki, Greece, after the great fire of 1917.
The Banque de l'Indochine, originally Banque de l'Indo-Chine, was a bank created in 1875 in Paris to finance French colonial development in Asia. As a bank of issue in Indochina until 1952, with many features of a central bank, it played a major role in the financial history of French Indochina, French India, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and Djibouti, as well as French-backed ventures in China and Siam. After World War II, it lost its issuance privilege but reinvented itself as an investment bank in France, and developed new ventures in other countries, such as Saudi Arabia and South Africa.
Vietnam Railways is the state-owned operator of the railway system in Vietnam. The principal route is the 1,727 km (1,100 mi) single-track North–South Railway line, running between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. This was built at the metre gauge in the 1880s during the French colonial rule. There are also standard gauge lines running from Hanoi to the People’s Republic of China, eventually leading to Beijing, and some mixed gauge in and around Hanoi.
The Presidential Palace of Vietnam, located in the city of Hanoi, currently is the official residence of the president of Vietnam. Before 1954, it was named the Palace of the Governor-General of Indochina .
Saigon Opera House, officially named Ho Chi Minh City Ballet, Symphony, Orchestra and Opera, is a municipal opera house in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Alike other French-built opera houses during French colonial period, including Hanoi Opera House and Haiphong Opera House, it is an example of French Colonial architecture in Vietnam.
The State Bank of Vietnam is the central bank of Vietnam. Organized as a ministry-level body under the Government of Vietnam, it is the sole issuer of the national currency, the Vietnamese đồng. As of 2024 it holds over USD 100 million in foreign exchange reserves.
National Highway 1 or National Road No.1 (10001) is one of the national highways of Cambodia. With a length of 167.10 km (103.83 mi), it connects the capital of Phnom Penh, through Prey Veng Province, with Bavet, Svay Rieng Province on the border with Vietnam, and continues in Vietnam as the QL22 Highway to Ho Chi Minh City in the south east. In Phnom Penh the road converges with National Highway 2 near Monivong Bridge and National Highway 5 at Stat Chas Circle Garden, near the French Embassy.
Ba Đình is one of the four original urban districts (quận) of Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. The district currently has 14 wards, covering a total area of 9.21 square kilometres (3.56 sq mi). As of 2019, there were 221,893 people residing in the district, the population density is 24,000 inhabitants per square kilometer.
Vietnamese architecture is the architectural style used by the Vietnamese through the process of historical development and the absorption and integration of regional and international architectures. Vietnamese architecture is reflected in the works from đình, shrines, temples, nhà thờ họ, citadels, palaces and housing architecture.
Tô Ngọc Vân, also known as Tô Tử, was a Vietnamese painter. Several of his paintings are being displayed at the Vietnam National Museum of Fine Arts. He taught a resistance art class in the northern zone during the war with the French, and died as the result of injuries received at the Battle of Điện Biên Phủ. He was among the first recipients of the Ho Chi Minh Prize in 1996.
The Ho Chi Minh City–Phnom Penh railway is a proposed railway between Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The railway is envisioned to complete the missing link on the eastern line of the Kunming–Singapore railway.
The Franco-Chinese Bank, in French Banque Franco-Chinoise (BFC), full name Banque Franco-Chinoise pour le Commerce et l’Industrie, was a French bank with operations in China and French Indochina, and later in the Indian Ocean and the French West Indies. In 1925 it succeeded the Société française de gérance de la Banque industrielle de Chine, an asset management company that had been formed in October 1922 following the closure of the Banque Industrielle de Chine.
The Société financière française et coloniale was a French investment bank that was an active investor in colonial ventures, particularly in the 1920s. It was founded in 1920 by financier Octave Homberg, who led it until having to leave in stages in 1930-1931 following heavy losses. In 1949, the SFFC changed its name to Société financière pour la France et les pays d'Outre-Mer, which eventually merged into investment company Suez Industrie in 1998.
Louis Chauchon was a 20th-century French architect who had a significant architectural influence in French Indochina, designing several major landmarks, especially: the Central Market in Phnom Penh, which is still in use today, and the Cathedral of Phnom Penh, which did not survive the violence of the Indochina Wars.
The Crédit Foncier de l'Indochine was a colonial bank headquartered in Paris, France, with main operational office in Hanoi. Following France's loss of its Indochina colonies, it focused on property development and management in France, was renamed Crédit Foncier et Immobilier in 1957, then Compagnie Foncière Internationale in 1988, and eventually acquired by Unibail in 1994.