Particpants in June 24th’s News Conference announcing launch of French website. A press conference was held Wednesday, June 24th, in the conference room at the Savannah Economic Development Authority (SEDA) building to announce the launch of a new website, www.sejoursavannah. com, which is written entirely in French.

Sponsored in part by the Coastal Heritage Society, it features a history of the contributions of Frenchspeaking people in Savannah (historians estimate that at one point in the 19th century, one in three Savannahians was a native French speaker!), as well as an interactive map showing sites of interest to French visitors.

Currently, a companion German website is in the works.

The Consul of France in Atlanta, Monsiuer Philippe Ardanaz, and the Consul of Germany in Atlanta, Dr. Lutz H. Görgens, were both on hand for the press conference.

The French website is dedicated to the late Dominique Audran, who, as General Manager of the Inn at Ellis Square and Honorary French Consul, greatly deepened the ties between France and Savannah. Mr. Audran passed away following an illness last year.

Coastal Heritage Society has teamed up with the State of Georgia, the Savannah Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Inn at Ellis Square, the Coastal Museums Association, and the family of the late Honorary French Consul to Savannah, Dominique Audran, to make sure those who speak French and German have more welcoming and fulfilling experiences in our city.