This amazing but little-known UNESCO World Heritage site (photographed here through the plane window as I flew to the north of Haiti) came out of an interesting part of the history of Haiti.
In 1804 the Haitian slaves prevailed in their revolt against their French masters, thus gaining their liberty and at the same time becoming the first black-led republic in the world. Seven years later, however, these gains were partially reversed as the army general Henri Christophe proclaimed himself Henry I, King of Haiti, and imposed a system of forced labour on the people.
Fearing further attack from the French he set to work building a massive defensive fortress in the mountains behind Cap Haitien. Or rather, his men - 20,000 of them - set to work, in an eight-year undertaking that must surely have been worse than the work and conditions they had endured as slaves. The fortress (known as Citadelle Laferierre) sits on top of a 3,000 foot high mountain. Not only did the men have to haul rocks about and build the thick, imposing walls, but they had to equip the fortress - with some 365 cannons and 15,000 cannon balls.
The cannons weigh 2-2.5 tons, and each took 100 men some 15 days to haul up the mountainside.
The French never invaded, and in 1820 Christophe shot himself after becoming incapacitated by a stroke.
As well as the Citadel, he built himself a very grand palace, the Sans Souci, 7km away (as well as eight other palaces around the northern half of Haiti). The place was badly damaged by the earthquake of 1842, looted of its contents and all but one of its marble statues, but is still an impressive site.
I visited both one Saturday during my three-week assignment to Haiti. Thankfully you can drive most of the way up, and the last part can be done on horseback although it would make a tremendous walk for anyone fit enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment