Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy

Gustavia is the capital of the Caribbean island and collectivité d' outre- mer Saint- Barthélemy ( St. Barth ), a French island in the eastern Caribbean. The city on the southwest coast of the island has around 2,300 inhabitants.

The cityscape is dominated by the harbor, around which are grouped the place. This port offered mainly in the 18th and 19th century rise to a lively trade.

The harbor is now annually at the turn of the backdrop for the majority of the world's existing mega yachts when the scenesters celebrates " newyears ".

History

The settlement was probably founded in 1763 by French settlers under the name Le Carénage. In the American War of Independence, it was a trading center for French arms shipments to the rebels. 1785 France sold the colony to Sweden.

The settlement was then given in honor of the then reigning Swedish king Gustav III. its present name. Here Samuel Fahlberg had a large proportion of the urban planning. St. Barth enabled as a Swedish colony - neutral in the conflict often stricken Caribbean - all dealers a free trade. 1852 a fire destroyed most of the buildings in the city, only the bell tower remained. 1877 France bought the colony for 80,000 francs back. Today the city is mainly of tourist importance. It is the starting point for visitors who want to spend some time on the island.

Boroughs

Since the Swedish rule, the city was divided into 10 districts, which were given French names later, mostly translations of the original name:

Trivia

The formerly oldest inhabitant of the town, Eugénie Blanchard (* 1896), was also the oldest living person in the world. She died on 4 November 2010.