National History Park - Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers, Haiti

Sans-Souci Palace, Haiti
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sans-Souci_Palace_front.jpg
Author: Rémi Kaupp
photo licensing

The National History Park comprising the Palace of Sans Souci, the buildings at Ramiers and the Citadel are universal symbols of liberty. They are the first monuments to be built by black slaves who had gained their freedom. They date from the beginning of the 19th century when Haiti proclaimed its independence.

The Palace of Sans-Souci was the royal residence of King Henri 1, the king of Haiti. It was built in 1810 and completed three years later. The name Sans-Souci means "without worry". Crippled by a stroke, King Henri I committed suicide on 8 October, 1820 by shooting himself with a silver bullet. His nephew and heir, Jacques-Victor Henry, was bayoneted to death by Revolutionaries ten days later.

Citadelle Laferrière is a large mountaintop fortress in northern Haiti. It was built by some 20,000 workers between 1805 and 1820, by Henri Christophe, a leader of the Haitian slave rebellion, who then proclaimed himself Henri I, the King of Haiti. The fortress is today an icon of Haiti.

National History Park was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 6th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Headquarters in Paris, France, on 13-17 December, 1982.

Citadelle Laferrière, Haiti
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Citadelle_Laferri%C3%A8re.jpg
Author: Rémi Kaupp
photo licensing

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 19 34 24.996 W 72 14 39.012 in the Département du Nord, Haiti
Inscription Year: 1982
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: IV, VI

Visiting National History Park

Travel Warning
Haiti was struck by a powerful earthquake on 12 January, 2010, causing major devastation to Port-au-Prince and killing thousands. At time of writing (May 2010), non-essential travel to Haiti is highly discouraged due to broken and inadequate tourist infrastructure and possibility of high degree of criminal lawlessness.

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