Victoriaborg, Accra

Victoriaborg

Accra's Independence Arch
Location Roughly:
W: Kojo Thompson Road
N: Kinbu Road/Sir Charles Quist Street
S: Gulf of Guinea
Governing body Accra Metropolitan Assembly

Formed in the late nineteenth century as an exclusive European residential neighborhood, the historic neighborhood of Victoriaborg was located to the east of Accra's city limits of the time, behind cliffs where there was reported to ‘always be a breeze.’.[1] With its luxurious homes, race course, golf course, polo and cricket field, tennis courts, and racially segregated hospital, "Victoriabog was like a piece of England grafted into the townscape of Accra.".[2]

As the city expanded, the suburban neighborhood of Victoriaborg was incorporated into the urban area. Following the independence of Ghana, the European CBD in Victoriaborg was de-Europeanized. The area was nationalized in a symbolic sense with the siting of the Bank of Ghana, Ministries, Independence Square, and the headquarters of newly established national companies in the district.[2]

Today, architecture in Victoriaborg ranges from elegant Georgian colonial buildings to glittering modern tower blocks reflecting its transition from a Victorian residential suburb to the modern business district it is today.

Landmarks/Places of Interest

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, May 28, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.