Port Vila

Port Vila is the capital of the Pacific state of Vanuatu. It is located on the southwest coast of the island of Efate in Vanuatu province of Shefa. The city has about 50,000 inhabitants.

Economy and Transport

Port Vila is the economic center of Vanuatu. There you will find the most important port in the country and with the farmer Field airport and the main airport.

The Port Vilas is run frequently from Australian cruise ships. The pier for cruise ships is located 3 km west of the city.

A regular city bus network with fixed routes, timetables or line numbers is not in Port Vila. The buses of various private companies take different routes depending on demand.

History

Port Vila in 1906 the seat of the colonial administration. The end of 1959 was the city which at that time numbered 2500 inhabitants, destroyed by a cyclone to 60%. Near the city of 25 graves were three dozen human skeletons of the Lapita culture and pottery dating back to 1200 BC have been found in autumn 2004 in a burial ground.

During the Second World War, Port Vila was used by the U.S. armed forces as an important air base in the Pacific, which explains the name of the airport (Bauer Field International Airport).

In 1987 the city was badly damaged by Cyclone Uma. One of the landmarks of the city, the building of the Supreme Court, and the court records were stored there on June 7, 2007 completely destroyed during the night of 6 by fire.

Architecture

One of the most distinctive buildings in the town is the 1992 built with Chinese assistance Parliament Building. Above the entrance there is a larger than life -size bronze sculpture of a Ni- Vanuatu family. Opposite the Parliament another monument was built from carved totem poles.

Another striking building Port Vila is the cathedral of Sacre Coeur, the cathedral of the Diocese of Port-Vila. Not far from the cathedral, the small church Porte du Ciel was built for the Vietnamese population in 1954. Noteworthy also are the Presbyterian Church at Independence Park, the smaller Church of Christ in the vicinity of the hospital and the church Eglise de l' Assomption with attached convent in the south of the city.

The Town Hall was built on a slope, from which a fine view over the city and harbor, and the barrier island Iririki. A similarly impressive views can be enjoyed from the monument to the fallen in World War II, which was built on a lawn in front of the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu.

At the main post office at Lini Highway, the bustling main commercial street of the city, are the colorful reliefs and wall paintings by Aloi Pilioko, one of the most important contemporary artists of the South Pacific area, worthy of attention. Another mural of its kind located in an administrative building opposite the equally worth visiting market hall. In the Pilioko Art Gallery about 5 km south of works by artist and art from other islands of the Pacific are seen.

The building of the University of the South Pacific whose style partly inspired by the traditional architecture of Melanesia, worth a visit.

Cultural

As a national museum and cultural center of Vanuatu, the Vanuatu Cultural Centre serves, which among other Pottery of the Lapita culture is issued. The traditional sand drawings Vanuatu are explained and demonstrated here. On the eastern edge is the open-air museum similar Ekasup Cultural Village. In the center of the city are an English and a French library.

Green spaces

Between the main street Lini Highway and Bay Vila Bay, the bustling and well-maintained seafront park with lawns, ponds and flower beds expands. From here there is an impressive view of the outlying islands of the capital Ifira and Iririki. On Iririki the former residence of the British governor is worth seeing.

The Independence Park on the eastern edge of downtown, around which various ministries and agencies group, has a large grassy area with a stand. Here sports competitions and cultural events. The Independence Park got its name in 1990 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the independence of Vanuatu.

In contrast, the park-like city cemetery northeast of the city center is an oasis of calm, photos in which the scale in typical Chinese style tombs of the Chinese minority a striking contrast to the floral ornate tombs of the Christian majority.