Fort Karl is a historic military fort located in Gustavia, the capital of

Saint Barthélemy Saint Barthélemy, officially the Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Barthélemy, also known as St. Barts (English) or St. Barth (French), is an overseas collectivity of France in the Caribbean. The island lies about southeast of the island ...

. It was built by the Swedish in 1789 and was named for Karl XIII. Today, the location of the fort's remains is a protected site, managed by the

Conservatoire du littoral The ''Conservatoire du littoral'' ("Coastal protection agency") (official name: ''Conservatoire de l'espace littoral et des rivages lacustres'') is a French public organisation created in 1975 to ensure the protection of outstanding natural areas o ...

Location

The site of Fort Karl is located in southwest Gustavia, on small hill approximately 34 meters (111ft) high. The site overlooks Gustavia and its port (to the northeast) and Shell Beach (to the southeast). The surrounding islands of

Saint Kitts & Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially the Federation of Saint Christopher (St Kitts) and Nevis, is an island country consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of the Less ...

Saba Saba may refer to: Places * Saba (island), an island of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean Sea * Sabá, a municipality in the department of Colón, Honduras * Șaba or Șaba-Târg, the Romanian name for Shabo, a village in Ukraine * Saba, ...

Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius, known locally as Statia, is an island in the Caribbean. It is a Caribbean Netherlands, special municipality (officially "Public body (Netherlands), public body") of the Netherlands. The island is in the northern Leeward Islands ...

, and

Saint Martin Saint Martin may refer to: People * Saint Martin of Tours (c. 316–397), Bishop of Tours, France * Saint Martin of Braga (c. 520–580), archbishop of Bracara Augusta in Gallaecia (now Braga in Portugal) * Pope Martin I (c. 595–655), bishop of R ...

are visible from the fort's location.

History

Fort Karl was built in 1789 during the era of Swedish rule of Saint Barthélemy, which lasted until 1878. It was built to protect Gustavia's harbor and valuable salt industry against attacks from the south, and was strategically significant due to the island's position. It was one of the three forts surrounding Gustavia during the Swedish era, along with Fort Gustav and Fort Oscar. Fort Karl was named for Karl XIII, the brother of Swedish King Gustav III. By the late 19th century, the remains of the fort had fallen into ruins.

The Fort today

Only ruins remain at the site of Fort Karl. In 2007, the

Conservatoire du Littoral The ''Conservatoire du littoral'' ("Coastal protection agency") (official name: ''Conservatoire de l'espace littoral et des rivages lacustres'') is a French public organisation created in 1975 to ensure the protection of outstanding natural areas o ...

took possession of the Fort Karl site, and they have since restored some of the remains of the fort. Preservation is managed locally by the Saint-Barthélemy Nature Reserve. The Fort Karl site is a popular location for hiking and whale watching, due to the panoramic views offered by the site's position.

References

{{Reflist Buildings and structures in Saint Barthélemy Forts in Overseas France Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy Military installations established in 1789 1780s establishments in the Caribbean 1780s establishments in the Swedish colonial empire