Palace of the Kings Bell
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The Palace of King Bell situated in
Douala Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital. It is also the capital of Cameroon's Littoral Region. Home to Central Africa's largest port and its major international airport, Douala International Airport (DLA), it is the com ...
is a building constructed in 1905 by the Germans for King Auguste Manga Ndumbe (King Bell). The building is also known as ''La Pagode''; this name comes from the French writer
Louis-Ferdinand Céline Louis Ferdinand Auguste Destouches (27 May 1894 – 1 July 1961), better known by the pen name Louis-Ferdinand Céline ( , ) was a French novelist, polemicist and physician. His first novel ''Journey to the End of the Night'' (1932) won the '' Pr ...
, who remained in Douala in 1916-17, who calls it such in his famous novel ''Voyage au bout de la nuit'' (''
Journey to the End of the Night ''Journey to the End of the Night'' (french: Voyage au bout de la nuit, 1932) is the first novel by Louis-Ferdinand Céline. This semi-autobiographical work follows the adventures of Ferdinand Bardamu in the World War I, colonial Africa, the Un ...
'').


History

Ascending to the throne in 1897, Auguste Manga Ndumbe created a large plantation of cocoa and palm oil in Mungo on the effluents of the Kamerun-Wui river, so as to compensate for the decline of the Douala economy based on the trade monopoly with the hinterland. He also carried out significant real estate investments in Bonanjo. At that time, the fortune of Auguste Manga exceeded by far that of his contemporaries and those of Akwa, Deïdo, and Bonabéri. He only lived in this residence for three years, dying in 1908. His son and heir Rudolph Douala Manga Bell reigned from 1908 to 1914, with his wife Emma Engomè Dayas. She was the daughter of British Captain Dayas and a young woman from Bali, Tébédi Eyoum. They lived here until the German authorities jailed Rudolph and hanged him on 8 August 1914. Alexandre Douala Manga Bell, son of the late Rudolph, celebrated as a hero and martyr, chose to live in Bali rather than this mansion. Known today as Le Parc des Princes, this compound includes the Bell’s Chefferie. Since 1920, the old mansion has been occupied by a long list of inhabitants and is still owned by the Bell royal family. Because of its history and its architecture, this building has always been an icon in Douala. In 2006 the building was highlighted by a sign produced by
doual'art doual'art is a non profit cultural organisation and art centre founded in 1991 in Douala, Cameroon and focussed on new urban practices of African cities. History doual'art was registered as a non profit organization in 1992 and it was establish ...
and designed by Sandrine Dole; the sign presented an historical image of the building and a description of its history.
Palace of the Kings Bell
' in ''Douala Ville d'art et d'histoire'', doual'art, Douala, 2006.


Gallery

File:Ars&Urbis International Workshop - Emiliano Gandolfi 176.JPG, Photp by Emiliano Gandolfi, 2007. File:Roberto Paci Dalò - SUD Salon Urbain de Douala 2010 (162).jpg, Photo by Roberto Paci Dalò, 2010. File:Palais des Rois Bell.jpg, Batisse a l'architecture indienne, était dans le passé le palais des Rois Bell.JPG Palais des rois Bell 1.JPG Palais des roi Bell RM.JPG


See also

*
Kamerun Kamerun was an African colony of the German Empire from 1884 to 1916 in the region of today's Republic of Cameroon. Kamerun also included northern parts of Gabon and the Congo with western parts of the Central African Republic, southwestern ...


References


Further reading

*
Palace of the Kings Bell
' in ''Douala Ville d'art et d'histoire'', doual'art, Douala, 2006. *
Ancient Palace
'


External links

{{Commons category, Pagode in Douala Buildings and structures in Douala