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| Port Royal | ||
| province | Parish of Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Residents | 1.100 | |
no value for residents on Wikidata:  | ||
| no tourist info on Wikidata: | ||
| location | ||
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Port Royal is a city in Jamaica.
background
This place is as legendary and shrouded in legend as it is historically and archaeologically interesting. In the time of the pirates, the richest city on earth is said to have been located on the headland in front of Kingston. In 1688 there were 600 stone houses and about the same number of wooden buildings on the narrow peninsula. The houses were up to four floors high and some also had a basement.
There were up to 8,000 people in the city. Notorious pirates like Francis L`Ollonais, Roche Brasiliano and Henry Morgan had their headquarters there. Several fortifications were built to protect the city. Fort Charles survived earthquakes and cyclones. Fort James, completed in 1667, had 26 cannons and was named after King Charles' brother. The location of this submerged fort is indicated by a plaque that can be found on the sea side of the enclosure wall of the Marine Hospital.
In 1678 two more fortifications were completed. Fort Carlisle had 14 cannons and was named after the Earl of Carlisle, who was governor at the time. Likewise Fort Rupert, it was armed with 22 cannons. Fort Morgan was built between 1678 and 1680, it had 26 cannons and was located between Fort Charles and Fort Rupert to protect the seaside. Fort Walker was in the northwest of the town and was a victim of the earthquake.
On June 7th, 1692 all of this was shaken by an earthquake. Towards the inside of the port, the place sank into the sea to a width of over 100 m, while the side of the peninsula facing the open sea was raised, so that the sea shore is now over 200 m further south. Port Royal was rebuilt until a fire destroyed the city in 1704, construction began again, hurricanes were the next disasters.
Another earthquake that caused severe damage in Kingston in 1907 also affected Port Royal, which can still be seen today at the Victoria and Albert Battery and Giddy House. In 1950 the place still had 1,200 inhabitants. A year later, a severe cyclone destroyed almost all buildings.
Due to its strategic location, the base was expanded, rebuilt and renewed again and again until the beginning of the 20th century. When the naval shipyard was closed in 1905, Port Royal became a small, sleepy fiascher village, only accessible by sea. It was not until 1936 that the construction of Palisadoes Street and the airfield began. Until the late 1970s, the outermost headland was used as a police training school and was heavily guarded. Visitors to Fort Charles had to sign a guest book. Today you can move freely almost anywhere, only a relatively small part is used by the coast guard. The original, temporary settlement of the Coast Guard has a long history. After the police school left, the Coast Guard took over all buildings in 1984. This also includes the historical ammunition depot.
Extensive excavations took place in the historic Port Royal between 1968 and 1984. With great support from American universities, the sunken part of the city has also been explored.
At the end of August 2003, the ferry service between Downtown Kingston and Port Royal was discontinued. A bus line replaces the ferry. Instead of a 30-minute boat ride, this means a 1-hour bus ride for the 5½ km route across Kingston Harbor. This is a major new setback for the local economy. The majority of the tourists coming from Kingston first visited the artisan market, a few steps away from the ferry terminal, and then went to a fish restaurant in Port Royal and explored the old fortifications.
In April 2010 only a fish restaurant was operated there, unfortunately it doesn't even have a sea view. The old restaurants at the ferry terminal have been torn down or are closed.
The Jamaican Army (Coast Guard) has now taken over the entire western area of the headland. There are barriers, guards and an "Open" or "Closed" sign in front of the entrance to Fort Charles. Access is only possible to a limited extent. On the lake side, in the direction of Victoria and Albert Batterie, a high fence has been drawn directly behind these walls, so that access to the sea is no longer possible there.
getting there
In the street
Port Royal is just over 3 km from Portmore as the crow flies, and downtown Kingston is 5½ km. Unfortunately, the place cannot be reached by public transport by water. By bus from downtown, past the international airport, it is 30 kilometers by road, the journey time is over an hour.
Tourist Attractions
- Marine quarters. The naval quarters of the Royal Navy from 1904.
- The torpedo booths and the slipway for the boats were built in 1900.
- Polygon Battery. The Polygon Battery was built in 1780–1781. After the victorious battle "The Battle of the Saints“Admiral Rodney came to Port Royal with Prince William Henry, later King William IV. In honor of the Polygon Battery was renamed.
- Royal Naval Shipyard. Made around 1720.
- Half Moon Battery. The Half Moon Battery was built in the 18th century.
- St. Peters Church. St. Peters Church was built in 1725-1726. The first church fell victim to the earthquake of 1692, a second to the great fire of 1703. The current church structure has been restored twice. The altar was made around 1740, the chandelier was installed in the church in 1743.
- Morgan's Line. The Morgan's Line was a kind of city wall and provided with 16 guns. Morgan's Line was created in 1671.
- Military hospital. The military hospital was built around 1800. It was a wooden building with two floors. The upper floor had a wraparound balcony. The house was badly damaged by a hurricane in August 1951, only the load-bearing beams remained standing like a skeleton.
- Garrison wall. The garrison wall is from 1908.
- Marine Hospital. The Marine Hospital from 1819 is the first building to be built from prefabricated cast iron parts. The individual parts came from England and were assembled on site. The structure survived the earthquake of 1907 and the hurricane of 1951 unscathed. A plaque can be found on the boundary wall on the lake side. This shows the location of the sunken Fort James. Today the former Marine Hospital is owned by the JNHT. Part of the upper floor houses the National Museum of Historical Archeology. The finds from the Port Royal, which was sunk in the sea, have been exhibited there since 1978.
- Hanover Line. The Hanover Line, built in 1720, is part of the masonry that encircled the military installations.
- Fort Charles. Fort Charles was built as Fort Cromwell in 1655-1662. At that time it was almost completely surrounded by water. It was later renamed after King Charles II. It was only slightly damaged during the earthquake of 1692. In 1667 the fortress was armed with 26 cannons, by 1765 the number was increased to 104. The crew was now 500 men. The two buildings in the interior date from 1699 and were the officers' quarters. 1971–1972 they were renovated, since 1977 a mini-museum has been housed there.
- Fort Charles and Fort Charles Maritime Museum. Tel.: 967-8438. The small museum shows a model of the fort, an old map and models of ships.Open: Opening times: daily 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.Price: Admission: Adults US $ 2, children US $ 1.
- The defense system of Victoria and Albert Battery also includes the ammunition room. The building is made of red bricks and has door and window openings. Due to the earthquake, the whole building was shifted so that the concrete messenger is no longer level. It is popularly called "Giddy House", the house that makes you dizzy.
- Modern warfare prompted Queen Victoria in 1888 to install two new 26 cm and 15 cm sea guns in front of Fort Charles, which could be rotated 360 degrees. There were also 15 cm guns. The Victoria Battery and the Albert Battery, both stand around 200 m apart and were connected to one another by tunnel systems. In the earthquake of 1907, the entrances were covered with sand.
- Nelson Square. Today the Paradeplatz is a parking lot. Originally the place was called "Chocolata Hole“And was part of the port of Port Royal. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the area was filled with earth.
- About 700 m east of Fort Charles is Fort Rupert named after the nephew of King Charles I. It was the easternmost fortification of Port Royal and was initially called Prison Fort, later Sea Fort, because of its proximity to the sea. It was armed with 22 cannons. During the earthquake of 1692 it first sank into the sea, later it was pushed back to the surface, it was not until 1968 that divers could accidentally find remains in the lagoon next to the road.
- Marine laboratory. The university's marine laboratory was established in 1955 and has been located in Port Royal since 1969. It is not open to the public.
- Coast Guard. Coast Guard, base of the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard began its work there in 1963 with two small, unsuitable boats from the time of World War II. The most modern ships have been in service there since 1966.
- Plum Point lighthouse, Palisadoes Road, level with the airport runway. About 8 km east of Port Royal is the Plum Point lighthouse and marks the entrance to the port of Kingston. The lighthouse is locked, access is free. This beacon was erected in 1853. Since then, operations have only been interrupted once, during the earthquake in 1907. The steel and stone tower is 21 m high. There is a white light, visible for 40 km, for the eastern access canal and a red light, visible for 20 km, for the southern access canal.
activities
Fishing:
- Morgan's Harbor Marina, 924-8464.
Diving:
Yacht charter:
- Morgan's Harbor. Tel.: 924-8464.
shop
- Lue's Grocery, High street.
kitchen
- Why Not on the Docks, Morgan's Harbor. Tel.: 967-8448. Open: Opening times: Mon - Fri 12.00pm - 8.00pm, Sat Sun 9.00am - 1.00am.
accommodation
- Morgan's Harbor Hotel. Tel.: 967-8030, 967-8075, Fax: 967-8873. 61 rooms and suites, 2 restaurants, 2 bars, pool, conference room, shopping area, marina, private beach, surfing, diving. Location: on the headland in the harbor in front of Kingston, free bus transfer to the airport, this is a 5-minute drive from the hotel.Characteristic: ★★★.Price: Prices all year round: single room from € 76, double room from € 80, suite from € 150.
Practical advice
Doctors:
- Port Royal Health Center. Tel.: 967-8197.
Police:
- Police station, Queen Street. Tel.: 967-8068.
Post Office:
trips
- Lime Cay. Lime Cay is a small, uninhabited island 3 km southeast of Port Royal. It is 380 m long and 85 m wide with tree cover. At the weekend, locals come there to swim. Then there is a bar and food is cooked. During the week the island is absolutely dead Morgan's Harbor Hotel you can rent a boat from and be brought there.
literature
- PORT ROYAL, with map enclosed, Clinton V. Black, Institut of Jamaica Publicatins Limited, revised edition 1988, ISBN 976-8017-06-6
