Avenue Habib Bourguiba
Encyclopedia
Avenue Habib Bourguiba is the central thoroughfare of Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....

, and the historical political and economic heart of Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

. It bears the name of the first President of the Republic of Tunisia
Habib Bourguiba
Habib Bourguiba was a Tunisian statesman, the Founder and the first President of the Republic of Tunisia from July 25, 1957 until 7 November 1987...

 and the national leader of the Tunisian independence movement. Today, the broad Avenue aligned in an east-west direction, lined with trees and facades of shops, and fronted with street cafes on both sides, and which is compared to the Champs-Élysées
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...

 in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, and its extension, the Avenue de France, Place de l'Indépendance marking the central roundabout with Lake of Tunis
Lake of Tunis
The Lake of Tunis is a natural lagoon located between the Tunisian capital city of Tunis and the Gulf of Tunis . The lake covers a total of 37 square kilometres, in contrast to its size its depth is very shallow...

 at the eastern end. Many of the important monuments are located along this avenue, including Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul, French Embassy in Tunisia and Théâtre municipal de Tunis.

Most cities in Tunisia have an Avenue Habib Bourguiba.

History

The road was originally known as the "Promenade de la Marine", a poor quality road which grew muddy in winter and dusty in summer. Within thirty years after the introduction of the French protectorate of Tunisia
French Protectorate of Tunisia
The French protectorate of Tunisia was established in 1881, during the Scramble for Africa, and lasted until Tunisian independence in 1956....

, the town grew up to the east of the Medina. The Consulate of France, became the seat of the French residence and built in 1890–1892. The avenue became the entertainment centre of the city too, and the playground for the city's elite. In 1920 the Municipal Theatre was built. In addition, the Cathédrale Saint-Vincent-de-Paul de Tunis was completed in 1897. On the eve of the First World War, the new major street in the centre was renamed Avenue Jules-Ferry after Jules Ferry
Jules Ferry
Jules François Camille Ferry was a French statesman and republican. He was a promoter of laicism and colonial expansion.- Early life :Born in Saint-Dié, in the Vosges département, France, he studied law, and was called to the bar at Paris in 1854, but soon went into politics, contributing to...

.

During the protests of 2011, many demonstrations calling for the downfall of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and that of the national unity government were held on the avenue.

Layout

Sixty meters wide, it has two unpaved roads on both sides of a median strip planted with, until 2001, a quadruple range of ficus
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...

 trees (reduced to two rows in a major 2000–2001 renovation). Important private buildings such as The Coliseum (galleries, cafes and movie theatres) in 1931 and the Hotel Claridge in 1932 came to be built. At the advent of independence in 1956, the statue was toppled and the avenue was renamed after the new president Habib Bourguiba. New private buildings emerged from extensive investments, such as international hotels.

The Bab Bhar (Porte de France), now a free-standing arch, is located at the termination of the Avenue de France, which in itself is an extension of the Ave Habib Bourgiba; beyond this old portal is the medina. At the eastern end of the Avenue Bourguiba, there is a causeway crossing Lake Tunis that carries the road and metro rail traffic and connects the city center with the La Goulette
La Goulette
La Goulette is the port of Tunis, the capital of Tunisia. The Kasbah fortress was built in 1535 by Charles I of Spain but was captured by the Ottoman Turks in 1574...

 (Halq al Wadi), an elegant old port; the posh suburbs of Carthage, Sidi Bou Said and La Marsa.

To the west of the Bab Bhar is the Rue de La Kasbah that terminates at the Government offices on the other side of the port; the Rue Jema Mosque (Grand Mosque) is at the heart of the port.

Place de l'Indépendance

To the west, the artery ends on the Place de l'Indépendance (Independence Square). The space is framed by the French Embassy and Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul. At its centre stands a statue of the Tunisian philosopher and historian Ibn Khaldoun, looking towards Avenue Bourguiba and lake beyond. The statue had originally intended to be erected on June 1, 1978 on the anniversary of Habib Bourguiba
Habib Bourguiba
Habib Bourguiba was a Tunisian statesman, the Founder and the first President of the Republic of Tunisia from July 25, 1957 until 7 November 1987...

's return to Tunis after the French colonialism bit did not occur until July 3.

French Embassy

The French Embassy in Tunisia, opening on the south side of the square, is located in buildings constructed in December 1861. Twenty years later they became the general residence of the French in Tunis.

Cathédrale Saint-Vincent-de-Paul

The Cathedral of St. Vincent de Paul, originally the seat of the of the Archdiocese of Carthage sits opposite the French Embassy. Built in a Romanesque-Byzantine style at the end the nineteenth century, it opens on the north side of the square.

Municipal Theatre

The Municipal Theatre, which opened November 20, 1902, is one of the few theatres in Art Nouveau style in the world. Partially demolished in 1909, it was converted and enlarged to be opened again on January 4, 1911. A total renovation of the theatre was completed in 2001 for its centenary.
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK