Marie-Galante - Marie-Galante

Marie-Galante is an island in Guadeloupe.

background

The almost circular island with a diameter of 15 km and approx. 84 km of coastline is 26 km south of Sainte-Anne and 43 km southeast of Pointe-à-Pitre. The limestone base probably broke when the island was formed. As a result, the northern part of the island is separated from the south by a 147 meter high cliff "La Grande Barre“Separated. The flatter northern part is "Les Bas"Called, the higher southern plateau is"Les Hauts“.

The before the "Rediscovery“The Arawak Indians living here gave the island its name Haichi. When Columbus sailed by on his second voyage on November 3, 1493, he named it after his caravel. Because of the round shape, the Spaniards generally called it "sombrero“.

For the next 150 years the island was only inhabited by Carib Indians. It wasn't until 1648 that governor sent Charles Houel 50 men from Guadeloupe to the island, where they disembarked on November 8 at Vieux-Fort, about 5 km north of Saint-Louis. They planted tobacco, cotton and indigo, but were repeatedly attacked by the Indians.

The Marquis d’Aubigne became the island’s first governor. His daughter, the Marquise de Maintenon, was the child educator of King Louis XIV, later his lover and from 1684 his secret wife.

At the end of the 17th century, the Comte de Témérincourt became Jacques de Boisseret sent here with 1,276 settlers. Now the island's economy experienced a significant boom. However, she was repeatedly attacked by the Spanish, English and Dutch. In 1691, 1703 and 1754 the English occupied the island in order to carry out their attacks on Guadeloupe from here. In 1776 the Dutch briefly owned the island, and in 1808 and 1815 it was again the English. It was not until 1816 that it finally became French.

Grand-Bourg was founded in 1653 as a place called Marigot. In 1676 700 Dutch soldiers raided the surrounding habitats and stole the slaves, in 1690 and 1692 the British did the same. By 1790 the settlement had grown to become the largest town on the island and was given its current name. In 1838 and 1901 almost all buildings were destroyed in a fire and rebuilt. There was a cholera epidemic in 1865 and a hurricane in 1928 caused additional damage.

Between 1996 and 1997, 25 wind turbines with an output of 1,500 KW were installed in Petite Plage.

Other goals

• Capesterre-de-Marie-Galante - Village with sandy beaches and the restored Le Moulin de Bezard windmill
• Grand-Bourg - capital of the island
• Saint-Louis - Place with sandy beaches

getting there

By plane

• Aérodrome Les Basses, IATA code - GBJ, ICAO code - TFFM, runway 09/27, 4.068 x 98 feet (1.240 x 30 m), asphalt. Tel. 978221, 979025.
• There is only regional air traffic from Pointe-a-Pitre and Basse-Terre, flight time: 15 minutes.

By boat

• The ship "Caribbean Spirit" operates between Grand-Bourg and Pointe-a-Pitre, departures every day except Tuesdays at 5.30 p.m. and Fridays at 1 p.m., journey time: 45 minutes, fare one way 20 euros, return journey 32 euros.
• The Val’Ferry shipping company operates between Grand-Bourg and Pointe-a-Pitre, departures every day except Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5.30 p.m., journey time: 45 minutes, fare one way 20 euros, return journey 32 euros.
• The shipping company Express des Iles operates between Grand-Bourg and Pointe-a-Pitre, with departures on Mondays and Saturdays at 6:00 am, 9:15 am and 4:00 pm; Sundays at 6:00 a.m., 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., travel time: 45 minutes, fare one-way € 24.15, return ticket € 39.90.
• The Comatrile shipping company operates between Saint-Louis and the Les Saintes archipelago, Terre-de-Haut, with departures on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays at 8.30 a.m., travel time: 45 minutes, one-way fare € 28, return € 38 .
• The Comatrile shipping company operates between Saint-Louis and Pointe-a-Pitre, departures Tuesday - Thursday at 4.30 p.m., journey time: 45 minutes, fare one-way 17 euros, return journey 32 euros.
• The Comatrile shipping company operates between Saint-Louis and Saint-Francois, departures every day except Mondays at 4.30 p.m., journey time: 45 minutes, fare one-way 26 euros, return journey 36 euros.

mobility

There are taxis and minibuses on the island. There is a bus connection between Grand-Bourg, Capesterre and Saint-Louis.

Tourist Attractions

• It is said that there are 100 windmills on the island from the days of sugar cane cultivation.
• Rum is produced in three distilleries: Distillerie Bellevue, north of Capesterre, Distillerie Bielle, northeast of Grand-Bourg and Distillerie Poisson, on the way from Grand-Bourg to Saint-Louis.
• The Chateau Murat, 2 km east of Grand-Bourg, has been converted into a museum. The name of this mansion has no relation to the royal family of the same name. It goes back to the lawyer Dominique Murat, who owned a coffee plantation and who lived in Capesterre in the late 18th century. The building was designed around 1832 by a Mademoiselle Murat who studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. In 1843 the facility was partially destroyed by an earthquake. The manor house has a Renaissance gable from the 18th century. The chateau was restored over a century after the 1963 earthquake with the support of the Société d’Èconomie Mixte la Rachate. In 1976 the construction of today's regional history museum and a gallery began. The associated sugar mill from 1814 with the preserved machinery is of particular interest.
• On the district road D 202 the stalactite cave Trou a Diable, the devil's hole, 328 m long, with cave lake, should only be visited with a guide. The entrance was recently filled in for security reasons.
• La Mare au Punch, Section Pirogue, north of Grand-Bourg. A lake that was created after the ground subsided on June 24th and 25th, 1849.

activities

Snorkeling, swimming, hiking, ox-cart rides.

literature

Web links

• Office du Tourisme de Marie-Galante