Swedish battery of Fort Gustav III | |
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Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy | |
![]() Hill with Gustavia Lighthouse and two canons, which was the location of Fort Gustav | |
Coordinates | 17°53′48″N62°49′29″W / 17.896700°N 62.824700°W |
Type | Fortification |
Site information | |
Owner | France |
Open to the public | Yes |
Condition | Ruins |
Site history | |
Built | 1787 |
Materials | Stone |
The Swedish battery of Fort Gustav III (French: Batterie suédoise du fort Gustav III) (also Fort Gustav or Fort Gustave) [1] [2] is a historic military battery built in 1787. [3] It is located in Gustavia on the island of Saint Barthélemy, a dependency of France in the Caribbean. The remains of Fort Gustav are registered on the French national list of historic monuments. [3] [4]
Fort Gustav was the most important fortification in Gustavia during the era of Sweden's rule of Saint Barthélemy. [3] It was one of three forts surrounding Gustavia during the Swedish era, along with Fort Karl and Fort Oscar. [5] [6] It was built between 1786 and 1787, [5] on the grounds of previous fortifications built by the French in the late 17th century. [3] [5] It comprised a stone guardhouse, stone ramparts, a cistern, a powder house, two sentry boxes, a bakery, and wooden barracks for 12 men. [5] Towards the end of the Swedish period, the battery fell into ruin. The only remains of Fort Gustav are portions of the enclosure, guardhouse, cistern, powder house, and kitchen. [3]
In 1952, the Météo France weather station was built on the grounds of Fort Gustav. [5] In 1961, the Gustavia Lighthouse was built on the grounds. [7] In 1995, the remains of Fort Gustav were registered on the French national list of historic monuments. [3] [4] [5] In 2004, the weather station was renamed Espace Météo Caraïbes [5] and provided a meteorological museum space. [3] In 2017, two period canons were added to the grounds of Fort Gustav, loaned by the Swedish Navy Museum. [8] [9] Archeological studies of the fort's remains were done in 2020 and 2023. [10] [11]
The Swedish slave trade mainly occurred in the early history of Sweden when the trade of thralls was one of the pillars of the Norse economy. During the raids, the Vikings often captured and enslaved militarily weaker peoples they encountered, but took the most slaves in raids of the British Isles, and Slavs in Eastern Europe. This slave trade lasted from the 8th through the 11th centuries. Slavery itself was abolished in Sweden in 1335. A smaller trade of African slaves happened during the 17th and 18th centuries, around the time Swedish overseas colonies were established in North America and in Africa. Similarly to other European powers, slavery was banned in the motherland while being legal in the colonies. Consequently, slavery remained legal on the sole Swedish Caribbean colony of Saint Barthélemy from 1784 until 1847.
Swedish overseas colonies consisted of the overseas colonies controlled by Sweden. Sweden possessed overseas colonies from 1638 to 1663, in 1733 and from 1784 to 1878. Sweden possessed five colonies, four of which were short lived. The colonies spanned three continents: Africa, Asia and North America.
Gustavia is the main town and capital of the island of Saint Barthélemy. Originally called Le Carénage, it was renamed in honor of King Gustav III of Sweden.
The Fort de Tournoux is a fortification complex in the Ubaye Valley in the French Alps. It was built between 1843 and the early 20th century to defend France against invasion from Italy and Savoy. It was described as the "Military Versailles of the 19th century," resembling a Tibetan monastery on the mountainside above the Ubaye. The fort is actually an ensemble of fortifications, including some "batteries" that rival the main fort in size and power.
Gustaf III Airport, also known as Saint Barthélemy Airport, Rémy de Haenen Airport, sometimes as St. Jean Airport, is a public use airport located in the village of St. Jean on the Caribbean island of Saint Barthélemy.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Saint Barthelemy:
The crenellated guardhouses of the 1846 model were gun-batteries built along the coast of France as the result of a standardisation of coastal-defence redoubts during the reign of Louis Philippe I. This standardisation came as an attempt to complete the defensive chain begun by Napoleon in 1811 with his model towers, left incomplete on his abdication in 1814. A mixed coastal armament commission set up in 1841 defined 3 types of work, known as crenellated guardhouses, crenellated towers and model-redoubt with defensive barracks. Along with the construction of the battleship La Gloire, they represent part of a 20-year trend of French naval and coastal re-armament, to which the United Kingdom eventually responded by building its own steam battleship (Warrior) and its own coastal defence chain during the 1860s.
The Swedish West India Company was a Swedish chartered company which was based in the West Indies. It was the main operator in the Swedish slave trade during its existence.
The Batterie de Bouviers is located in the commune of Guyancourt, Yvelines, France. It is a former fortification built beginning in 1879 and occupied by the army until 1932. From 1933 it was leased by the Hispano Suiza company as a factory, surrounded by other industrial structures. The site was abandoned by Hispano Suiza in 1990, and was sold by the Ministry of Defense in 1999. In 2006 the battery became the "Cafe Musiques", surrounded by office buildings and a music school.
The Fort du Trou-d'Enfer, also known as the Réduit du Trou-d'Enfer, is one of the fortifications of Paris, It is located in Marly-le-Roi, in the departement of Yvelines. The fort was built between 1878 and 1881 for a garrison of 800 men. It was termed a réduit for its position surrounded by several smaller batteries. The fort was occupied by the Germans during World War II, who blew up their ammunition when they evacuated the fort in August 1944, damaging the fort. The fort is named for the farm on whose land it sits, the ferme du trou-d'enfer, literally "Hellhole Farm."
Saint Barthélemy, officially the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy, also known as St. Barts (English) or St. Barth (French), is an overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean. The island lies about 30 kilometres (19 mi) southeast of the island of Saint Martin; it is northeast of the Dutch islands of Saba and Sint Eustatius, as well as north of the independent country of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Saint Barthélemy cuisine mainly revolves around French cuisine, West Indian cuisine, Creole cuisine, Italian cuisine and Asian cuisine. The island has over 70 restaurants serving many dishes and others are a significant number of gourmet restaurants; many of the finest restaurants are located in the hotels. There are also a number of snack restaurants which the French call "les snacks" or "les petits creux" which include sandwiches, pizzas and salads. West Indian cuisine, steamed vegetables with fresh fish is common; Creole dishes tend to be spicier. The island hosts gastronomic events throughout the year, with dishes such as spring roll of shrimp and bacon, fresh grilled lobster, Chinese noodle salad with coconut milk, and grilled beef fillet etc. Notable restaurants include Eddy's, located opposite the Anglican church in Gustavia which serves colonial Southeast Asian cuisine, La Mandala in Gustavia serving far eastern cuisine, Le Repaire on the harbor in Gustavia serving Creole food, K'fe Massai in Centre'lOasis in Lorient inspired by French North Africa, Maya's in Saint Jean which serves French Creole cuisine, Zanzibarth in Saint Jean which serves French, Belgian and Italian cuisine and Do Brasil on Shell Beach, based on Brazilian and Thai cuisine.
The Swedish colony of Saint Barthélemy existed for nearly a century. In 1784, one of French king Louis XVI's ministers ceded Saint Barthélemy to Sweden in exchange for trading rights in the Swedish port of Gothenburg. Swedish rule lasted until 1878 when the French repurchased the island.
The forts of Metz are two fortified belts around the city of Metz in Lorraine. Built according to the design and theory of Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières at the end of the Second Empire—and later Hans von Biehler while Metz was under German control—they earned the city the reputation of premier stronghold of the German reich. These fortifications were particularly thorough given the city's strategic position between France and Germany. The detached forts and fortified groups of the Metz area were spared in World War I, but showed their full defensive potential in the Battle of Metz at the end of World War II.
This is a list of public holidays in Saint Barthélemy.
The Comité Territorial de Football de Saint-Barthélemy is the governing body of association football in Saint Barthélemy. The association was founded in 1994. In 2019 the committee announced that it was seeking membership in CONCACAF and the Caribbean Football Union for the first time. As of the September 2019 elections, the president of the association is Zouhir Boubakeur and the vice-president is French footballing legend Robert Pires.
Fort Karl is a historic military fort located in Gustavia, the capital of Saint Barthélemy. It was built by the Swedish in 1789 and was named for Karl XIII. Today, the location of the fort's remains is a protected site.
Fort Oscar is an 18th century military fort in Gustavia, the capital of Saint Barthélemy. It sits at an elevation of 136 feet, overlooking the Gustavia harbor. The fort was built during Sweden's rule of Saint Barthélemy. It was one of the three forts surrounding Gustavia, with Fort Gustav and Fort Karl. It was armed with four canons.
The Gustavia Lighthouse is a 20th-century lighthouse located in Gustavia, the capital of Saint Barthélemy in the French West Indies. It was constructed in 1961 on the grounds of Fort Gustav, overlooking the Gustavia harbor.