- Type
- Fortress
- Built
- 1672 · 17th century
- Location
- United States
- Architect
- Jørgen Iversen Dyppel
- Coordinates
- 18.3408°, -64.9297°
History
Construction of the fort began in 1672, when settlers of the Danish West India Company led by Jørgen Iversen founded a colony on St. Thomas; the work went on until about 1680. Named after King Christian V, it was long the heart of the colony, housing the governor's residence, the Lutheran church, storerooms and the jail. The town that grew up around it was named Charlotte Amalie after the queen in 1691. In the 19th century the fort was remodelled, gaining among other things a Gothic Revival clock tower facing the town. After the Danish West Indies were sold to the United States in 1917 it continued to serve as a police station and jail, and in 1977 it was designated a National Historic Landmark.
What to see
The brick-red fort with its bastions stands on the waterfront in the centre of Charlotte Amalie, next to Emancipation Garden and the bright green building of the territorial legislature. After a restoration lasting many years its walls house a museum of the islands' history, the Danish colonial period and slavery. From the bastions there are views over the harbour, where large cruise ships call, and the town climbing the hillsides.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1773741
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