NEW THEME IN SAINT-NAZAIRE’S OCEAN LINER EXPERIENCE: IN 2009, ESCAL’ATLANTIC “SAILS AROUND THE WORLD”

Since 2006, Escal’Atlantic, the extraordinary museum which is the (almost life-size) reconstitution of an ocean liner, has re-themed the whole “liner” every year. Its visitors, or shall we say passengers, have thus discovered voyages to the Americas, the Far  East, the Mediterranean. All that was left to do was… a world tour! It will take place this year, as from April 4; discover a world tour of maritime routes, ports of call and ocean liners.

Documents, archive films and collection pieces tell the stories of these routes and destinations, and particularly the following routes:

Saint-Nazaire – Veracruz (Mexico) and Saint-Nazaire – Colon (Panama): the first regular transatlantic lines run by a French company, the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (known as the French Line).
Marseille – Nouméa (New Caledonia): possibly the longest maritime route ever, covering 11,446 milles nautiques. It was created in 1881 by the other famous French company, Messageries Maritimes.
Bordeaux - Buenos Aires (Argentina) is evoked through the tragic history of the liner L’Atlantique (1931) and also a series of photos about Buenos Aires and the “’pampas” around 1900.
Le Havre - New York is being told through the travellers’ fascination for the city and its skyscrapers.
The Far East routes and the Pacific are evoked through San Francisco, the “other” gateway to America, and also the history of Pondicherry, on India’s South coast, which had been part of what was called “French India”.

This imaginary world tour is also a good occasion to remind visitors that Saint-Nazaire used to be the first French transatlantic harbour, from 1862, when the Mexico route was first opened, until the 1930’s. And it brings back to life an epoch when it took not some hours ore a few days to travel but… several weeks:  Saint-Nazaire – Havana, two weeks and a half; Bordeaux – Buenos Aires, three weeks; Marseille – Nouméa, six weeks!

A totally new experience lies in store for visitors of Escal’Atlantic. The archive films are of exceptional interest; among the most remarkable: New York re-visited in a magnificent colour film, made in 1938; views of Sydney and Nouméa before 1920; fascinating views of the Panama Canal in the 1920’s/30’s; but also a film from the early 1920’s about the “coal women” in Martinique who transported tons of coal in heavy baskets on their heads…

And there’s much more: precious collection pieces such as beautiful luggage from the early 20th century; a very “jazzy” atmosphere at the bar of Escal’Atlantic; a “sun-deck” which evokes Buenos Aires, New York and Pondicherry in a very unusual -and pleasant- way…

Escal’Atlantic’s “world tour” is open to visitors from April 4 to December 31, 2009. For information please call 00 33 228 540 640. No booking required for the visit of Escal’Atlantic.