New Orleans

The following is a quick guide to New Orleans – “Laissez les bon temps rouler” (Let the good times last).

To describe New Orleans in just a little article is almost impossible. When people hear about New Orleans, some of them will think about voodoo; others would envisage its carnival and all its vivid, sharp colors; still others will have a brilliant impression of the vibrant jazz music and its presence spilling over the streets like a good strong splash of bourbon. All of them are right – these are some of the most powerful aspects of this unique city.

Another image comes to mind – that of a devastated city subjected to the frightening power of nature at her worst. Hurricane Katrina has virtually destroyed New Orleans, and the task of rebuilding will take many years. Who knows if the wonderful flavor and visual impact of New Orleans will ever again glow in anything other than the human memory?

We must hope that it will be so, that New Orleans will live again. The following description depicts New Orleans before the impact of Hurricane Katrina.

Also known as the Crescent City, New Orleans is located at the end of the Mississippi River; a great part of the city is at sea-level. In terms of sheer size, it is also the biggest city in the state of Louisiana.

Founded by French colonists in 1718 and named in honor of Philip II, Duke of Orléans, it has been a place where different cultures have left their imprint all over the years (the ruling French and the African slaves to name a few...). Even a cursory glance at the startling variety within the architecture, food and atmosphere demonstrate this.

New Orleans is divided into quarters, the most important of them being the French Quarter. Despite its name, most of the buildings within this quarter were built by the Spanish while they owned the city. In the heart of the French Quarter are many historically important places, such as the Jackson Square (originally called “Plaza de Armas”), which has a bloody history as a place of execution, and which also served as a popular market, among other things. In modern times, it is filled with musicians and artists amusing the tourists.

Watching over the Jackson Square one finds the St. Louis Cathedral, another of the many buildings built in 1727 during the Spanish control of the city. It is the oldest church in Louisiana and it has a very characteristic European ambience.

Also, to the north one finds the famous Lake Pontchartrain where voodoo rituals were held. Certainly one of the most characteristic elements of New Orleans has been the practice of voodoo, which reached New Orleans because African slaves continued to celebrate their traditions and rituals on American soil. It is believed that about 15% of inhabitants of New Orleans currently practice voodoo. It’s certainly obvious that the practice of voodoo is a vibrant force in the city.

New Orleans is also very famous for the Mardi Gras (New Orleans carnival festivities), in which the city is transformed by the color, costumes and pageantry of its parades and celebrations for a whole day.

The brilliant splash of cultures is another aspect that adds so much vibrancy to New Orleans, with the Negro and Caucasian population, the strong remnants of the city’s French history, and its embedded memory of the Spanish and African elements combining to give New Orleans a wonderful quality of both relaxation and wild activity.