Schœlcher Librairy

The Schœlcher library

The Fort-de-France audio-guided tour presents you with the Schœlcher library, one of the most emblematic and most photographed buildings of the city, born of a gesture in favour of education for all.

A bequest for education

The library was founded in 1887, when Victor Schœlcher, a fervent defender of the abolition of slavery, bequeathed his vast private collection to the general council of Martinique. Without children, he wished that his ten thousand books and his scores become the collection of a library open to all, and particularly dedicated to the education of former slaves. The architect Henri Picq designed a pioneering building, in wrought iron, concrete and wood, able to resist the bad weather of the island. Built first in Paris and exhibited at the Tuileries garden, it was dismantled, transported by boat, then reassembled in Fort-de-France. Despite the fire of 1890 and the cyclone of 1891, it opened its doors in 1893, in an eclectic style mixing Byzantine, Art Nouveau and Egyptian influences.

What there is to see

The Schœlcher library dazzles with its polychrome façade and its eclectic style, which make it a veritable architectural jewel and the most photographed building of Fort-de-France. Beyond its beauty, it embodies an ideal of emancipation through education, open to all. It is an essential stage, where the history, the architecture and the memory of Martinique meet.

Practical information

The Schœlcher library is in the centre of Fort-de-France, near La Savane park. Its façade can be contemplated freely; the interior, a place of reading and heritage, can be visited according to the opening hours to be checked on site.

Who founded the Schœlcher library?

Victor Schœlcher, who bequeathed in 1887 his private collection to create a library open to all, dedicated notably to the education of former slaves.

Why was the library built in Paris?

It was first assembled and exhibited in Paris, at the Tuileries garden, before being dismantled and transported by boat to Fort-de-France.