The Savane Park (Parc de la Savane in French), or simply “La Savane,” is a green space of about 5 hectares. It is the landmark site of the city of Fort-de-France. Often the starting point for sporting events, the parades of the city’s carnival, and military marches commemorating armistices, it is also the place where French and foreign heads of state are welcomed during visits to Martinique.
Moreover, in 1859, the people of Martinique chose it as the site for the statue of Empress Josephine. The bronze statue of Pierre Belain d’Esnambuc, the first Norman colonist to settle in Martinique, was erected there in 1935. The park itself was built on a former marshland that became a central gathering place of Foyalese life as early as the 17th century.
It is adorned with royal palms, traveler’s trees, and bougainvillea. It stretches from Fort Saint-Louis to the heart of downtown Fort-de-France.
If you ask the people of Martinique what La Savane means to them, they will tell you it is a place for romantic encounters. Indeed, it was where lovers used to stroll and where future couples would meet.
The park reopened in April 2011, after being restructured by regional authorities and the city of Fort-de-France. Today, it is even possible to see iguanas wandering among the trees.
