Memorial to the abolition of slavery

Memorial to the abolition of slavery

Nantes was the capital of the slave trade in France: it organised 43% of the French slave trade shipments in the XVIII century. The City wants to assume its past and give shape to the memory via a powerful political gesture. The Memorial to the Abolition of Slavery in Nantes is the biggest in Europe. Located on the Quai de la Fosse, a symbolic place in the city that has seen many slave ships to Africa, the Memorial has been open to the public since March 2012. Following an international competition, the city of Nantes has entrusted the design of the Memorial to Krzysztof Wodiczko, a Polish artist and Julian Bonder, an Argentinian architect.