Gourbeyre

Gourbeyre is a municipality with 7855 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2011 ) in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe. There is the archive of the Department. Gourbeyre is a member of the local association Sud Basse- Terre.

Geography

Gourdeyre lies between the towns of Basse -Terre to the west and Trois -Rivières in the east, to the southwest of the island of Basse -Terre in the National Park of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean.

History

In the 17th century it was known as Montagne Saint -Charles et du Palmiste ( Mount Saint- Charles and palm grove ), it is assumed that is meant by Saint -Charles Charles Houël, who was from 1643 to 1664 governor of Guadeloupe. Then the village was called Dos - d'Ane ( donkey ), today this is still the name of a hamlet. The church today Gourbeyre is composed of parts of three places from outer parts of the former parish of Mont- Carmel, the Montagne Saint -Charles et du Palmiste and part of the former parish of Trois- Rivières.

In the 17th and 18th centuries dominated three Christian orders the region. The Hospitaller Brothers of St.. John of God lived in Saint -Charles, which they converted into a sugar factory. The Carmelites had a sugar factory in Dolé and lived in Montagne Saint -Charles et du Palmiste. Dolé belonged at that time to the village of Trois- Rivières and was named after his military commander. The Jesuits bought in 1704 the sugar factory Bisdary, which stood at Basse -Terre at the foot of the mountain Houëlmont. The religious orders talking African slaves and had gained their wealth by particularly good lands. This aroused the displeasure of the secular residents and the administration. In 1741 Louis XV regulated. of France (1710-1774), the land of religious orders. They were only allowed to own as much land as was needed to feed 100 slaves. The sugar factory Bisdary the Jesuits comprised 250 acres and employed 300 slaves. Therefore, the Jesuits Bisdary sold in 1764 to Thomas lépreux.

In the wake of the French Revolution (1789-1799) the property of the religious orders in Guadeloupe was confiscated. In 1794 slavery in Guadeloupe was banned.

Attractions

• The Centre d' Observatoire de la soufriere is an observatory, which was built in 1989. It is located about 9 kilometers south-west of the volcano.
• The Marina Riviere Sens is a marina that offers, among other things Thalasso therapies.
• Source chaude de Dolé is a thermal spring in the hamlet Dolé. The water source is sold in Guadeloupe as mineral water, besides you can bathe in a purpose-built basin.

Personalities

Lucette Michaux - Chevry ( born 1929 in Saint -Claude ) is a French politician (UMP ). She was from 1987 to 1995 Mayor of Gourbeyre. It was in 2004 again elected to the Senate of France, elected in 2008 to Mayor of Basse- Terre.