Fort de France attractions -not only sun & beach
The city has a fine natural harbour defended by three forts: Fort Desaix: built from 1763 to 1789, it was called Fort Bourbon in 1793, Fort la Convention in 1793, Fort George during the British occupations (1793-1802, 1809-1814), and Fort Desaix since 1802. This name was given by Napoleon Bonaparte after General Desaix (1768-1800). Fort Tartenson, Fort Gerbault, Place de la Savane, Schoelcher Library, Balata Garden, Sacré-Cœur de Balata Basilica, Fort-de-France Cathedral. A statue commemorating Martinique-born Empress Josephine, the wife of Napoleon, is in the park of La Savane. It was vandalized in the 1990s, presumably by individuals who faulted her for supporting the reestablishment of slavery on the island. At the heart of town is La Savane, a broad garden with many palms and mangos, playing fields, walks, and benches, plus shops and cafes lining its sides. In the middle of this grand square stands a statue of Joséphine, "Napoleon's little Creole," made of white marble by Vital Debray. The statue poses in a Regency gown and looks toward Les Trois-Ilets, where Joséphine was born. The statue was decapitated in 1991, probably because islanders felt she championed slavery. Near the harbor, at the edge of the park, you'll find vendors' stalls with handmade crafts, including baskets, beads, bangles, woodcarvings, and straw hats. Your next stop could be the 1875 Cathédrale St-Louis, on rue Victor-Schoelcher. The religious centerpiece of the island, it's an extraordinary iron building, which has been likened to "a sort of Catholic railway station." A number of the island's former governors are buried beneath the choir loft. A statue in front of the Palais de Justice is of the island's second main historical figure, Victor Schoelcher, who worked to free the slaves more than a century ago. Bibliothèque Schoelcher, 1 rue de la Liberté, also honors this popular hero. Functioning today as the island's central government-funded library, the elaborate structure was first displayed at the Paris Exposition of 1889. The Romanesque portal, the Egyptian lotus-petal columns, even the turquoise tiles were imported piece by piece from Paris and reassembled here. It's open Monday noon to 5:30pm, Tuesday to Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm, and Saturday from 8:30am to noon. Fort St-Louis, built in the Vauban style on a rocky promontory, guards the port. Fort Tartenson and Fort Desaix also stand on hills overlooking the port. Musée Departemental d l'Archeologie et de Prehistoire de la Martinique, 9 rue de la Liberté is the one place on Martinique that preserves its pre-Columbian past and has relics from the early settlers, the Arawaks and the Caribs. The museum has exhibits from the years from 3000 B.C. to A.D. 1635, but stops shortly after the arrival of the first French colonials on Martinique in the early 1600s. In other words, it's mostly an ethnological museum, which was enlarged and reorganized into a more dynamic and up-to-date place in 1997. |
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