The Citadelle Laferrière or, Citadelle Henry Christophe, (Born Christopher Henry, probably in Grenada.) The Citadelle is a large mountaintop fortress located in northern Haiti. Constructed in the early 19th century, it is the largest fortress in the Americas, and one of Haiti’s greatest national symbols. The massive stone structure was built by up to 20,000 workers between 1805 and 1820 as part of a system of fortifications designed to keep the newly independent nation of Haiti safe from French incursions. The Citadel was built several miles inland, and atop the 3,000 ft (910 m) Bonnet a L’Eveque mountain, to deter attacks and to provide a lookout into the nearby valleys. Cap-Haïtien and the adjoining Atlantic Ocean are visible from the roof of the fortress. Anecdotally, it is possible to sight the eastern coast of Cuba, some 90 miles (140 km) to the west, on clear days The Citadel was built by Henri Christophe, a key leader during the Haitian slave rebellion, He was the son of a slave mother and Christophe, a free man. He was brought as a slave to the northern part of Saint-Domingue. The Citadelle Laferrière or, Citadelle Henry Christophe, or simply the Citadelle (in English, spelled Citadel), is a large mountaintop fortress in northern Haiti, approximately 17 miles (27 km) south of the city of Cap-Haïtien and five miles (8 km) uphill from the town of Milot. It is the largest fortress in the Americas and was designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Site in 1982—along with the nearby Sans-Souci Palace. The mountaintop fortress has itself become an icon of Haiti. The Citadel was built by Henri Christophe, a key leader during the Haitian slave rebellion, after Haiti gained independence from France at the beginning of the 19th century On the 26th of March 1811, Christophe had himself proclaimed Henry I, King of Haïti. He also created a nobility and named his legitimate son Jacques-Victor Henry as prince and heir.
Posted on: Fri, 25 Jul 2014 04:51:02 +0000
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