United Nations Square (Casablanca)

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
United Nations Square
ساحة الأمم المتحدة
Downtown, Casablanca.jpg
United Nations Square at night.
United Nations Square (Casablanca)
Coordinates 33°35′42″N7°37′08″W / 33.5949°N 7.6188°W / 33.5949; -7.6188
Designer Henri Prost
Connecting transport Tramway T1

United Nations Square (Arabic : ساحة الأمم المتحدة, French : Place des Nations-Unies) is a public square in the center of Casablanca, Morocco. It has been central in the history of Casablanca.

Contents

History

The Magasins Paris-Maroc building, located at the southern end of Place de France
, was the first building of the European ville nouvelle
. Magasins Paris-Maroc 07.jpg
The Magasins Paris-Maroc building, located at the southern end of Place de France, was the first building of the European ville nouvelle.
Place de France around 1917, with the clock tower and State Bank of Morocco branch at center sH@ frns ldr lbyD 1917.jpg
Place de France around 1917, with the clock tower and State Bank of Morocco branch at center
Henri Prost's 1923 study for the Place de France. Study for the Place de France and Boulevard 4me Zouaves, development plan for Mellah area, 1923.jpg
Henri Prost's 1923 study for the Place de France.

The area outside the walls of the old medina that is now United Nations Square, used to be the location of the Souq Kbir (سوق كبير), also referred to as le Grand Socco, before French colonization. In 1908, after the French bombardment and invasion of Casablanca, the French commander Charles Martial Joseph Dessigny ordered the construction of a clock tower in the area, which then took the name, Place de l'Horloge, "Square of the Clock". The square was then named Place de France, "Square of France," and the surrounding area was developed by a team of French architects and urban planners chosen by the French Résident général Hubert Lyautey and led by Henri Prost.

The Magasins Paris-Maroc building (1914), constructed by Hippolyte Delaporte and Auguste Perret, was located at the southern end of Place de France. [1] [2] in 1915, Hubert Lyautey inaugurated the new Casablanca branch of the State Bank of Morocco was inaugurated on the square's northeastern side. [3] [4] The Neo-Mauresque Hotel Excelsior, which remains today, was built in 1916. [5]

The area around the clock tower in 1925. ETH-BIB-Casablanca, Tour de l'horloge-Dia 247-03991.tif
The area around the clock tower in 1925.

As the European ville nouvelle, or "new city," expended eastward of the square, the square evolved from a marketplace to a contact point between the European city and the Casablanca medina, which French colonists described as the "ville indigène." [6]

The Tramway winds in front of the BMCI building, through United Nations Square. Casablanca Tramway.jpg
The Tramway winds in front of the BMCI building, through United Nations Square.

The clock tower was demolished in 1948, together with several of the square's buildings that stood on the way of the Avenue des Forces Armées Royales, created under the new urban planning proposed by Michel Écochard. [7] The square became a bus station for a period of time in the midcentury. A clock tower imitating the original's design was constructed a short distance closer to the medina in 1993.

The architect Jean-François Zevaco designed the Kora Ardia (كرة أرضية), "Globe," in 1975. [8]

The Casablanca Tramway transformed the square. Work started in 2009, and the first line was inaugurated December 12, 2012. [9]

Access

The square is reachable by Line 1 of the Tramway, which stops at United Nations Square Station.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casablanca</span> Largest city in Morocco

Casablanca is the largest city in Morocco and the country's economic and business centre. Located on the Atlantic coast of the Chaouia plain in the central-western part of Morocco, the city has a population of about 3.71 million in the urban area, and over 4.27 million in Greater Casablanca, making it the most populous city in the Maghreb region, and the eighth-largest in the Arab world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rabat</span> Capital city of Morocco

Rabat is the capital city of Morocco and the country's seventh-largest city with an urban population of approximately 580,000 (2014) and a metropolitan population of over 1.2 million. It is also the capital city of the Rabat-Salé-Kénitra administrative region. Rabat is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the river Bou Regreg, opposite Salé, the city's main commuter town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Casablanca</span>

The history of the city of Casablanca in Morocco has been one of many political and cultural changes. At different times it has been governed by Berber, Roman, Arab, Portuguese, Spanish, French, British, and Moroccan regimes. It has had an important position in the region as a port city, making it valuable to a series of conquerors during its early history.

Jean-François Zevaco was a French-Moroccan architect born in Casablanca. He is considered an emblematic figure of the modernist architectural movement in Morocco and in Africa, and his legacy is important in terms of the number of constructions built across Morocco, the diversity of his works, and their international aura.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casablanca Tramway</span> Tram system in Casablanca, Morocco

The Casablanca Tramway is a low-floor tram system in Casablanca, Morocco. As of 2019, it consists of two lines - T1 from Sidi Moumen to Lissasfa, and T2 from Sidi Bernoussi to Aïn Diab—which intersect at 2 points and form a 47 km (29 mi) network with 71 stations. Two additional lines, T3 and T4, are scheduled to open in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maurice Le Glay</span> French Army officer and author (1868–1936)

Maurice Le Glay was a French Army officer and author of works on Morocco. He served as an artillery and political officer in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco before retiring to a civil post in 1918 so that he could begin a literary career. He wrote numerous journal articles and several books including a description of the French defeat at the Battle of El Herri. He was a strong admirer of the Berber people, though he was criticised for inspiring the political division of the Berber and Arab peoples in Morocco. He retired to Casablanca, where he died and was honoured with a street named in his memory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco</span> National library of Morocco in Rabat

The National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco is located in Rabat, Morocco, with a branch in Tetouan. The former Bibliothèque Générale was created in 1924. In 2003, it was renamed the "Bibliothèque nationale du Royaume du Maroc."

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Marrakesh, Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casablanca Clock Tower</span> Clock tower in Casablanca, Morocco

The Casablanca Clock Tower is a clock tower in Casablanca, Morocco. Located in United Nations Square, the tower is a 1993 reproduction of one of the oldest French-built structures in the city. The original tower was built in 1909 by the French commander Charles Martial Joseph Dessigny, and designed by Le Capitaine du Génie Bouillot, as an identical copy of one he had built in Aïn Séfra when stationed there previously.

Casamémoire is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of the 20th-century architecture of Casablanca, Morocco. As of 2015, Casamemoire is an NGO in an official partnership with UNESCO with consultative status.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohammed V Square</span> Public square in Casablanca

Mohammed V Square is a public square of historical and symbolic significance located in central Casablanca, Morocco. It was established in 1916 at the beginning of the French protectorate in Morocco under Resident-general Hubert Lyautey, on a design by architects Henri Prost and Joseph Marrast.

The Wilaya Building is the building that houses the administration of Grand Casablanca. It was designed by Marius Boyer and built from 1928-1937 during the French Protectorate in Morocco. The building is located at Muhammad V Square in central Casablanca, Morocco, and it remains an emblematic building of the city's architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Casablanca</span> Built environment in Morocco

The architecture of Casablanca is diverse and historically significant. Casablanca, Morocco's economic capital, has a rich urban history and is home to many notable buildings in a variety of styles. Throughout the 20th century, architecture and urban development in Casablanca evolved in a way that was simultaneously specific to the city's contexts, and consonant with international ideas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elie Azagury</span> First Moroccan modernist architect

Elie Azagury was an influential Moroccan architect and director of the Groupe des Architectes Modernes Marocains (GAMMA) after Moroccan independence in 1956. He is considered the first Moroccan modernist architect, with works in cities such as Casablanca, Tangier, and Agadir. Azagury was also a controversial and outspoken Communist, and was active designing cités, or social housing projects made up of modular units, in places like Hay Hassani in Casablanca. These projects combined elements of modern and vernacular architecture, taking local culture and lifestyles into account.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mnebhi Palace</span> Palace in Fes, Morocco

The Mnebhi Palace or Menebhi Palace, also known by its French name Palais Mnebhi, is a historic early 20th-century palace in Fes el-Bali, the old medina of Fes, Morocco. It is notable for both its lavish architecture as well as for being the place where the 1912 Treaty of Fes was officially signed. It is located on Tala'a Seghira street, one of the main souq streets of the city.

Abdelouahed Mountassir is a Moroccan architect and urban planner. He is mainly known for his designs of the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco (2008), for the future Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat and for urban development projects in Rabat and Casablanca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Protectorate Residence, Rabat</span>

The French Protectorate Residence also known as Residence-general is a historic building in Rabat, Morocco. It was the seat of the Resident-general in the French protectorate in Morocco from its completion in 1924 to the end of the protectorate in 1956.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Equestrian statue of Hubert Lyautey</span>

The Equestrian statue of Hubert Lyautey is a public sculpture that commemorates Hubert Lyautey, the first Resident-general of the French protectorate in Morocco, in Casablanca, Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Bank of Morocco</span> Morocco quasi-central bank established in 1907

The State Bank of Morocco was a quasi-central bank established in 1907 following the Algeciras Conference, to stabilize the Moroccan currency and serve as a vehicle for European and especially French influence in the Sultanate of Morocco. Following the independence of Morocco, it was replaced in 1959 by the newly created Banque du Maroc, known since 1987 as Bank Al-Maghrib.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avenue Mohammed V, Rabat</span> Iconic thoroughfare in Rabat, Morocco

Avenue Mohammed V, sometimes referred to by its old name Avenue Dar al-Makhzen, is a major thoroughfare in downtown Rabat, Morocco. Its main section was created under the French Protectorate in Morocco and mostly developed between 1915 and 1932, when it was also known as Cours Lyautey. At the southern end of that section is the As-Sunna Mosque, whose history dates back to the 18th century like that of the nearby royal palace or Dar el-Makhzen.

References

  1. Cohen, Jean-Louis (Jan 21, 2020). "Elie Azagury (1918-2009) - le doyen des architectes Marocains". YouTube .
  2. "Archiwebture — Image en grand format". archiwebture.citedelarchitecture.fr. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  3. "Le général Noguès inaugure le nouvel hôtel de la Banque de l'Etat du Maroc" (PDF). Le Petit Marocain. 17 October 1937.
  4. "Banque D'Etat Du Maroc Casablanca Maroc CPA Postcard 8057". PicClick.
  5. أرحال, سناء. "هذا تاريخ مجسم "الكرة الأرضية" وهذه خصائص إعادة تأهيله". مشاهد 24 (in Arabic). Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  6. Cohen, Jean-Louis, 1949- (1998). Casablanca : mythes et figures d'une aventure urbaine. Eleb, Monique, 1945- ... [Paris]: Hazan. ISBN   2850256242. OCLC   406294705.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. "Casamémoire : Histoire de l'urbanisme de Casablanca". Casamemoire.org.
  8. "Casablanca: la Kora Ardia en plein relooking". Al HuffPost Maghreb (in French). 2017-04-14. Retrieved 2019-05-14.
  9. "Inauguration of Casablanca's first tram line in Morocco". Intelligent Transport. Retrieved 2019-05-14.