Welcome back!

This post is extremely exciting for me as I had the opportunity to visit a place from my bucket list! Generally when you search Togo and more specifically, Lomé, you’ll see tourist attractions like the Gran Marché (a large market downtown) to the Marché des Féticheurs (Fetish Market). Trust me, I’ll go when I’m a little more comfortable with my French to really get those experiences, and I’ll be excited to also share those experiences with you and how they are connected to the community here. Luckily for me, I found deep in another article a piece written on Palais de Lomé, and for my 30th birthday, H and I made the trek down near the ocean to find this amazingly beautiful cultural center.

Palais de Lomé was initially built in 1898 by the Germans (as Togo was German held after the unfortunate “scramble for Africa”). It was home to the German Governors that presided over Togoland. However, after the First World War, Togo had then become under French control. The building hosted diplomats from Germany, France, and the UK continuing until the country’s independence in 1960. It then became a base for Togo, and became home for its President, and guests of Togo until the 1990’s, and it laid dormant for roughly 20 years to fade away. When nature took over, and the salt spray from the sea and years of neglect took its toll. 

However, in 2014, the Togolese government commissioned architects and footed the entire bill to rehabilitate the property to make it a cultural center, gallery, and a historical reminder of not just the colonial past, but the strength that this country has to rebuild and create a legacy for itself. Our guide also mentioned that the Germans had approached Togo to rebuild it, and Togo said “NOT TODAY” and did it all the construction itself. This is the only West African capital that has a park on the oceanfront, as that property and real estate is golden. Honestly, I’m really amazed and glad that it exists. It’s full of lush and ancient greenery, birds, views, and outstanding architecture. If you can’t already tell, I AM SO IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE. 

Okay, now to the good stuff and photos!!

After arriving at the gate to enter, we paid 10,000 CFA, for both of us. As of today, it was $18 USD for us to explore this gigantic space. After paying and armed with my Fujifilm XT30 and 27mm lens, we walked along a wooden path, and emerged onto a driveway of sorts. And through the trees, poked the magnificent Palais de Lomé.

As we traversed our way through, I was taken aback by the architecture, the details, the perfect arches and gorgeous wood tones, doors, everything made by Togolese artisans. The galleries were also beautiful, and also rotate, however pictures were limited in those rooms. In the center was a courtyard, with plants, birds, lizards, and views of the property, as you’ll see below.

But you know what? Let me stop talking so much and just post the pictures. We’ll catch up at the end!

After viewing the downstairs, we then headed upstairs. I just have to break down this next photo though, I am an interior enthusiast and minimalist at heart. This next photo is my absolute favorite, for the layering of arches, the waved ceiling, the windows, staircase, and neutral ethereal vibes that resonate from this entire place. In the next photos, you’ll see wood details of the windows, and just a few other shots before we head outside.

We then went outside to explore the grounds. These photos are by no means indicative of the entire space, it’s gigantic! We will be going back to explore more, we just wanted to make it to a local restaurant, Tcha Tcha Lomé before they closed.

This brings me to the end of my photos for this trip to Palais de Lomé. I most certainly will be returning and bringing guests here for as long as we are privileged to be guests in this country. I found this place not only beautiful, but a testament to the awareness and pride that a country can have in taking back the narrative. Colonial history is extremely dark and has lasting roots that are still being dug up today, however, if a people is determined to rise and continue to make progress, the future is as bright as ever.

Please check out their website for a complete history, palaisdelome.com

Signing off to begin H’s birthday weekend and Labor Day. I will update next week with more photos from our planned weekend trips. If you enjoyed this post, let me know below! And if there’s specific content you’d like to see more of, I’d love to hear from you.

With love from Togo,

Carrie