Citadelle Laferrière of Haiti

The Citadelle Laferrière , located on plough over of a mount inwards northern Republic of Haiti , is i of the largest fortresses inwards the Americas. The Citadel was built past times Henri Christophe , who played a primal role inwards the Haitian Revolution that eventually led to the province gaining independence from French Republic inwards 1804. The fortress was built instantly later the revolution , betwixt 1805 together with 1820 , together with was purpose of a organisation of fortification designed to resist whatever endeavour past times the French to recapture the newly independent acre of Haiti.

The Citadel was built several miles inland atop a iii ,000 feet-tall mount called Bonnet a L’Eveque , 17 miles S of the urban nub of Cap-Haïtien. From the fortress , i tin run across all the means to the Atlantic coast , together with on clear days , you lot tin fifty-fifty glimpse the eastern coast of Republic of Cuba , located around xc miles away.

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Photo credit: Rados AG/Panoramio

The military machine chemical compound covers 10 ,000 foursquare meters together with is surrounded past times a battery of 365 cannons. Enormous stockpiles of cannonballs yet sit down inwards pyramidal stacks at the base of operations of the fortress walls. Inside , at that topographic point are living quarters , cisterns together with storehouses designed to shop plenty nutrient together with H2O to sustain five ,000 soldiers for upwards to i year. The fort likewise had a imperial quarter reserved for the virile somebody monarch together with his household unit of measurement , if they happened to take away shelter.

Rather than fearing a French invasion , which never happened , King Henry had reasons to fright his ain people. He was an unpopular , autocratic monarch whose feudal policies of using forced slave task didn’t sit down good amongst a lot of his populace. In 1820 , before long later the Citadel was completed , King Henry , at the historic menses of 53 , committed suicide past times shooting himself amongst a silvery bullet rather than run a peril a coup together with assassination. His loyal followers buried him inwards i of the Citadel's interior courtyards to foreclose others from mutilating the corpse.

The Citadel’s strength were never tested; its cannons never fired. Today , this colossal construction is the symbol of Haiti. It is featured on currency , stamps , together with on tourist ministry building posters. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site inwards 1982.

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