Citadelle Laferrière

Citadelle Laferrière

The Citadelle Laferrière is a large mountaintop fortress located in northern Haiti, approximately 17 miles(27km) south to the city of Cap Haitien. It is the largest fortress in the Western Hemisphere and was designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1982; it is also the 8th man made wonder. The Citadelle Laferrière has itself become an icon of Haiti and without a doubt the most popular historical attractions in Haiti.

The treat of the French retaking the island, led to the construction of the Citadelle Laferrière, as a place for the government to retreat to should it become necessary, and to spy any approaching invasion force.

It took more than a decade and the labor of more than 20.000 workers to build this massive fortress. It is equipped with 365 cannons, in symbolization of fighting for Haiti's independence 365 days of the year; each with a unique, distinctive design; copious amounts of cannon balls are stacked in gigantic pyramids around the compound. The walls are more than 130 feet tall, and the Citadelle covers an enclosed area of more than 108.000 sq. ft. The foundation of the Citadelle Laferrière are embedded straight into stone of the mountain. The storehouses and cisterns inside the Citadelle are build to hold enough food and drink for over 5.000 people for a full year and includes special rooms for the king, bakeries and bathing facilities.

The building of this marvelous engineering accomplishment, was done under King Henry Christophe. As a small mountainous island, King Henry Christophe thought that a massive defense structures overlooking the ports of Cap-Haitien, then Capital of Haiti was necessary to protect the country from French invasion, fortunately, the Citadelle never got used for its purpose as the french never came back to reclaim Haiti.

When one takes the time to study the Citadelle, and discover the reason behind each and every stone encrusted deep inside the majestic mountain where proudly and vigilantly it stands, ready anytime, to defend the soil of the First Black Republic, the second Independent nation in the New World, and the true Mother of Freedom; Haiti; you will be nothing but amazed.

In 1805 the construction of the Citadelle Laferrière begun. The mountain, Bonnet de l'Evêque, was choosen. For the next decades, 20.000 Haitian workers, started by embedding the foundation of the will be wonder, into the deep stones of the mountains, capable of withstanding some of the strongest earthquakes. When the city of Cap-Haitien was completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1842, The Citadelle was the only important building standing still. Nearly intact one might say. The near Sans Souci Palace, was left with only Its impressive walls, to tell its past.

Equipped with 365 canons; one placed on each window, symbolizing the determination of the Haitian People to fight for their freedom 365 days out of the year.

King Henry Christophe is said to have wanted to emphasize one of Dessalines' quotes.

"The Island is ours; not a white fool should touch it"

The famous path that brings one to the Citadelle, wasn't done, just to bring people to its interior; in fact, The Citadelle was designed to make it more difficult for people to access.

The path get narrower and stiffer as you get closer to the entrance of the compound; in an attempt to prevent large invasion. And hiking to the Citadelle is no easy task, the location was chosen so people could get tired before getting there. It is only accessible by horseback riding which takes around 1hr. And if you are up for good hiking, over 2 hours.

Inside the Citadelle are many secret rooms, that are still secret since no one has actually done a deep full tour. On a clear day, the coasts of Cuba can be seen from atop the wonder.

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