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The Citadel, or development through tourism
I have long wanted to go there (a sign that it isn't actually a good standard tourist site) and now I read it is the focal point of the new promotion of tourism in Haiti:
The Western Hemisphere's largest fortress, it was built atop a 3,000-foot mountain in the tumultuous years after Haiti broke from France in an 1804 slave revolt and became a symbol of triumph over bondage for descendants of African slaves everywhere.
The trip there is a two-hour crawl over unpaved roads and through garbage-strewn, traffic-clogged streets of Cap-Haitien. The final ascent, a steep cobblestone path, is traversed on foot or on undersized horses beaten with sticks by local guides.
Here is a painting of The Citadel.
Posted by Tyler Cowen on June 12, 2008 at 09:33 AM in Travels | Permalink
Comments
Brimstone Hill Fortress on St. Kitts is also spectacular (http://www.brimstonehillfortress.org/). St. Kitts, unlike Haiti, is pleasant, clean and safe. Plus the roads are paved. Ant the view from the fortress is superb.
Posted by: Ned at Jun 12, 2008 10:07:00 AM
Ah yes, the massive fortress built by 20,000 enslaved black workers through corvée labor, starting a year after the independence of the first black "republic", supposed the first country in the western hemisphere to abolish slavery.
In high school we learned about the glorious Haitian struggle for emancipation and independence against French colonial rule, but for some odd reason the schools don't focus much on the post-independence history of Haiti.
Posted by: LZ at Jun 12, 2008 11:16:37 AM
It was featured in Richard Halliburton's "Book of Marvels" in the 1930s. But it mostly seemed like a symbol of the re-enslavement of the masses by a dictator. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Posted by: Steve Sailer at Jun 12, 2008 1:10:50 PM
The Potala Palace is more impressive. Climbing to the top at Lhasa's 12,000 foot elevation feels like a near-death experience for any low-lander.
Posted by: bartman at Jun 12, 2008 2:38:11 PM
I grew up in Haiti, and visited the Citadel and Sans Souci Palace several times. Well worth a visit.
Posted by: Trevor at Jun 16, 2008 2:13:47 PM
