Swedish battery of Fort Gustav III
{{Infobox military installation
| name = Swedish battery of Fort Gustav III
| map_type = Saint Barthélemy#Caribbean
| partof =
| location = Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy
| coordinates = {{coord|17.896700|-62.824700|type:landmark|display=inline}}
| image = PhareGustavia.jpg
| caption = Hill with Gustavia Lighthouse and two canons, which was the location of Fort Gustav
| image2 =
| caption2 =
| type = Fortification
| code =
| built = 1787
| builder =
| materials = Stone
| height =
| used =
| demolished =
| condition = Ruins
| ownership = France
| open_to_public = Yes
| controlledby =
| garrison =
| current_commander =
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| occupants =
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}}
The Swedish battery of Fort Gustav III (French: Batterie suédoise du fort Gustav III) (also Fort Gustav or Fort Gustave){{Cite book |last=Center |first=United States Defense Mapping Agency Hydrographic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=45eLZ1rE3p4C |title=Sailing directions (enroute) for the Caribbean Sea |date=1976 |publisher=Department of Defense, Defense Mapping Agency, Hydrographic Center |pages=169 |language=en}}{{Cite book |last=Office |first=United States Hydrographic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5dib05dU6QIC&dq=%22fort+oscar%22&pg=PA40-IA4 |title=Sailing Directions for the West Indies |date=1949 |publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office |edition=6th |volume=II |pages=78 |language=en}} is a historic military battery built in 1787.{{Cite web |last= |date=2019 |title=Batterie suédoise du fort Gustav III à Saint Barthélemy |url=https://www.saintbarth-tourisme.com/batterie-suedoise-du-fort-gustav-iii/ |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=Comité Territorial de Tourisme de Saint Barthélemy |language=fr-FR |archive-date=2023-03-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330041018/https://www.saintbarth-tourisme.com/batterie-suedoise-du-fort-gustav-iii/ |url-status=live }} It is located in Gustavia on the island of Saint Barthélemy, a dependency of France in the Caribbean. The remains of Fort Gustav are registered on the French national list of historic monuments.{{Base Mérimée|PA97100004}}
History of Fort Gustav
Fort Gustav was the most important fortification in Gustavia during the era of Sweden's rule of Saint Barthélemy. It was one of three forts surrounding Gustavia during the Swedish era, along with Fort Karl and Fort Oscar.{{Cite journal |last=Körber |first=Lill-Ann |date=2019 |title=Sweden and St. Barthélemy: Exceptionalisms, Whiteness, and the Disappearance of Slavery from Colonial History |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/scanstud.91.1-2.0074 |journal=Scandinavian Studies |volume=91 |issue=1–2 |pages=74–97 |doi=10.5406/scanstud.91.1-2.0074 |jstor=10.5406/scanstud.91.1-2.0074 |s2cid=199267883 |issn=0036-5637}} It was built between 1786 and 1787,{{Cite news |date=February 2, 2017 |title=The Swedish Battlements of Fort Gustav |url=http://www.stbarthweekly.com/pdf/Weekly379.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102143315/http://www.stbarthweekly.com/pdf/Weekly379.pdf |archive-date=November 2, 2021 |access-date=December 21, 2023 |website=St. Barth Weekly |page=6 |issue=379}} on the grounds of previous fortifications built by the French in the late 17th century. It comprised a stone guardhouse, stone ramparts, a cistern, a powder house, two sentry boxes, a bakery, and wooden barracks for 12 men. Towards the end of the Swedish period, the battery fell into ruin. The only remains of Fort Gustav are portions of the enclosure, guardhouse, cistern, powder house, and kitchen.
Site today
In 1952, the Météo France weather station was built on the grounds of Fort Gustav. In 1961, the Gustavia Lighthouse was built on the grounds.{{Cite web |last= |date=August 10, 2023 |title=A Red and White Landmark |url=https://www.onair.news/2023/08/10/a-red-and-white-landmark/?lang=en |access-date=2023-12-21 |website=ON AIR |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-12-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221021220/https://www.onair.news/2023/08/10/a-red-and-white-landmark/?lang=en |url-status=live }} In 1995, the remains of Fort Gustav were registered on the French national list of historic monuments. In 2004, the weather station was renamed Espace Météo Caraïbes and provided a meteorological museum space. In 2017, two period canons were added to the grounds of Fort Gustav, loaned by the Swedish Navy Museum.{{Cite news |date=July 13, 2017 |title=December: Two Swedish Canons For Fort Gustav |edition= |pages=7 |work=St. Barth Weekly |issue=391 |url=http://www.stbarthweekly.com/pdf/Weekly391.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=December 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230609183616/http://stbarthweekly.com/pdf/Weekly391.pdf |archive-date=June 9, 2023}}{{Cite news |date=December 13, 2012 |title=A Swedish Naval Ship, Two Cannons, and the Visit of an Ambassador |pages=4 |work=St-Barth Weekly |issue=260 |url=http://www.weekly97.o2switch.net/pdf/Weekly260.pdf}} Archeological studies of the fort's remains were done in 2020 and 2023.{{Cite web |last=Saint-Barth |first=Le Journal de |title=Les vestiges du fort Gustaf disséqués avant restauration |url=https://www.journaldesaintbarth.com/actualites/patrimoine/les-vestiges-du-fort-gustaf-disseques-avant-restauration-202007011402.html |access-date=2023-12-22 |website=Le Journal de Saint-Barth |language=fr}}{{Cite web |date=2023-03-29 |title=Saint-Barthélemy : Étude archéologique des remparts du Fort Gustaf III - Le Courrier de Guadeloupe |url=https://lecourrierdeguadeloupe.com/saint-barthelemy-etude-archeologique-des-remparts-du-fort-gustaf-iii/ |access-date=2023-12-22 |language=fr-FR}}
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Cite web |last= |title=Gustavia |url=https://www.saintbarth-tourisme.com/gustavia-saint-barth/ |access-date= |website=saintbarth-tourisme.com |date=27 May 2019 |publisher=Comité Territorial de Tourisme de Saint Barthélemy |id= |language=Fr}}
- {{Cite web |last= |title=Batterie Suédoise du Fort Gustav III |url=https://www.saintbarth-tourisme.com/batterie-suedoise-du-fort-gustav-iii/ |access-date= |website=saintbarth-tourisme.com |date=19 May 2019 |publisher=Comité Territorial de Tourisme de Saint Barthélemy |id= |language=Fr}}
Category:Gustavia, Saint Barthélemy
Category:Buildings and structures in Saint Barthélemy
Category:Artillery battery fortifications
Category:Government buildings completed in 1787
Category:1780s establishments in the Swedish colonial empire