A neglected piece of Chandannagar’s French past is set to get a new lease of life. Restoration work on the historic Registry Building, a French-era structure that once housed a court, was formally launched on Friday as the state government stepped up efforts to conserve Chandannagar’s built heritage and turn it into a tourism asset.
West Bengal Tourism Minister Sankar Ghosh and French Ambassador Thierry Mathou attended the launch at St Joseph’s Convent Auditorium. The initiative was unveiled alongside the three-day Chandannagar Festival, which began on Friday and will continue till Sunday along the famous Strand on the bank of river Hooghly.
Located opposite the present Chandannagar Sub-Divisional Magistrate’s office, the old Registry Building has stood in a dilapidated condition for years. Despite an earlier memorandum of understanding during the previous state government to renovate the structure and restore its historic appearance, the project had remained largely on paper.
The state government has now revived the restoration under its Built Heritage Project, with the building being seen as an important link to Chandannagar’s French-era history and a potential addition to the town’s tourism circuit. This is part of new government’s push for tourism.
The restoration assumes significance because Chandannagar retains one of Bengal’s most distinctive collections of French colonial architecture. The museum, Dupleix Palace, Sacred Heart Church, clock tower and several other old structures continue to reflect the town’s past as a French settlement.
The Registry Building, despite its historical importance, has remained largely outside the town’s emerging heritage-tourism narrative. The government is now seeking to change that.
Amit Mitra, a volunteer of the Chandannagar Heritage Committee, said the festival was aimed at celebrating the city’s French colonial history while linking heritage conservation with tourism. “The event will showcase French cuisine, local legacy items and commemorative merchandise, while restoration of historical sites will form an important part of the initiative,” he said. A planned museum and restaurant, modelled on the Danish-style heritage development seen in Serampore, are also part of the broader vision, he added.
The restoration launch has given a sharper heritage dimension to the Chandannagar Festival. The Strand has been transformed with elaborate illumination, drawing on the town’s famous lighting tradition to create a streetscape along the Hooghly. Food stalls offering French and continental cuisine alongside Indian dishes, cultural programmes, musical performances and a Ganga Aarti are among the festival attractions.
Mitra said the initiative reflected a collaborative effort between the Chandannagar Heritage Committee and local authorities to promote tourism while preserving the town’s distinctive historical identity.
Established as a French trading post in the 17th century, Chandannagar remained under French control until its formal transfer to India in 1951. Its colonial past has survived not only in buildings but also in the town’s cultural character.
The tourism department is now looking at ways to build on that legacy. According to the state officials this could become a recurring event, with a similar celebration being considered during the Christmas-New Year period if this edition proves successful.
For now, however, the more significant change is taking place away from the festival lights. The restoration of the Registry Building signals an attempt to move Chandannagar’s French heritage from neglected structures to a planned heritage-tourism circuit.
