Les anciens abattoirs - VISIT CASABLANCA

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Touristic guide

In Casablanca, a vast former slaughterhouse has been transformed into a cultural factory. A stunning space has become a creative melting pot for the youthful resistance active in Casablanca's urban chaos.

In the labyrinthine streets of Casablanca, urban landmarks are essential for orientation. The Old Slaughterhouse is one of the city's most important landmarks. It stands in the legendary Hay Mohammadi neighborhood, home to major figures in Moroccan art, culture, and sport. The Old Slaughterhouse is the name of a nearby tram stop: the Old Slaughterhouse Station.

History of space: The old slaughterhouses, the first expression of modernity in Casablanca.

A landmark in Moroccan architectural heritage, the former slaughterhouses represent an important moment in Casablanca's history. In the 1920s, during the French Protectorate, the northeast of the city became a major industrial zone, a base for production facilities and industrial units. A large number of workers from rural areas settled there. This rural exodus led to uncontrolled urban growth, with informal settlements and the first shantytowns in the country's history. The slaughterhouse was designed by architect Georges-Ernest Desmarest and built in 1922. The architectural style of the buildings is neo-Moorish with avant-garde touches: the Art Deco style, which did not yet exist in 1925.

The wasteland surrounding it is barren and anonymous. The sun is strong, the light is blinding.

The area is surrounded by small buildings, slums, and barbecue restaurants; nearby are factories and industrial spaces. The building is quite large but remains hidden behind a few trees, revealing no clues as to what's going on inside.

The slaughterhouse, a counter-culture space

All visitors were stunned by the monumental scale of its remarkable architecture. The slaughterhouses consist of a series of buildings, courtyards, and alleys spanning 5 hectares.

The authenticity of these vast spaces steeped in memories, with the stables left intact, impresses all visitors. Art and culture coexist with butchery and slaughter equipment.

As you wander through the buildings, garishly colored graffiti tantalizes your senses. Their scathing, vivid, and suffocating expression evokes the cries of rebellious youth, eager for freedom and energy. They proliferate on tiles, floors, and logging equipment, brazenly spilling out of cracked walls.

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