Bel Ombre (Mauritius)

Coordinates: 20 ° 30 ′  S , 57 ° 24 ′  E

Bel Ombre (Mauritius)​

Mauritius

Bel Ombre is a place ("Village") on Mauritius .

Bel Ombre belongs to the Savanne district and administratively to the Village Council Area (VCA) Bel Ombre. At the 2011 census, the VCA Bel Ombre had 2,417 residents. The most important religious groups there are the Roman Catholic Church (1419 inhabitants) and the Hindu faith (627 inhabitants).

etymology

The name comes from the French and means "beautiful shadow". Since shadow in the French language is female and the feminine form of "beautiful" is "Belle", the name should actually be "Belle Ombre". Therefore, it is also discussed that the name is derived from the fish grayling . This is also called ombre in French, but is grammatically masculine. Both forms of name occur historically.

In 1769 Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre mentions the place Bel Ombre in his travelogues. Two to three hundred runaway slaves would live there (see also Le Morne Brabant ). In 1782 the botanist Jean-Nicolas Céré mentions the place as "Belle Ombre". In the course of time the current form of the name established itself.

The sugar factory

The history of the place is closely linked to that of the local sugar plantation and factory. The sugar factory was founded in 1802 by J. Courdray. In 1807 the company was acquired by Caliste Chamoiseau. After his death in 1833, his heirs sold to Gaston d'Emmerez. At that time, the plantation had a size of 5,000 arpents after the plantations Ruisseau Créole with 666 arpents and Mont Rose with 278 arpents had been attached in 1817.

In 1910 the company was transferred to today's CSBO (Compagnie Sucrière de Bel Ombre Ltd.), which today owns 2500 hectares of land in Bel Ombre and in the south-west of Mauritius. In 1999 the sugar factory ceased operations. The sugar cane grown is now processed in other sugar factories in the country.

The Château de Bel Ombre

The manor Château de Bel Ombre was founded in 1910 by the Compagnie Sucrière de Bel Ombre Ltd. (CSBO) in the heart of the sugar plantation. The colonial-style house, divided into six parts by front verandas, is now a restaurant.

The Trevessa Monument

The Trevessa Monument is the only cultural monument in the area. It is a memorial stone to the survivors of the sinking of the Trevessa in 1923. It stands at the end of the beach near the St. Martin cemetery.

tourism

Today tourism is an important branch of economic life. Bel Ombre has several beaches. Two luxury hotels and a golf course were created on the site of the former sugar plantation.

literature

• Jean Pierre Lenoir: Bel Ombre, entre mer et montagne, 2011

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Statistics Mauritius: Housing and population census 2011 , Volume II: Demographic and fertility characteristics , p. 71, statsmauritius.govmu.org (PDF)
2. ^ Save our heritage: Château de Bel Ombre . Website about cultural monuments in Mauritius
3. ↑ domainedebelombre.mu "trevessa"