Grand-Bourg
Encyclopedia
Grand-Bourg is a commune
on the island of Marie-Galante
, in the French
overseas region and department of Guadeloupe
in the Lesser Antilles
Caribbean
. It is located in the southwest of Marie-Galante, and is the most populous of the three communes on the island.
Grand-Bourg hosts the headquarters of the communal association of Marie-Galante. The Marie-Galante Airfield is located in Grand-Bourg.
visited in 1493 during his second voyage. In 1653, a fort was established by French colonists.
The major part of the commune consists of an undulating plateau. It is dominated by a broad littoral plain and mangrove forest in the north, with broad beaches in most coastal areas. In the south, the coast is protected by a coral reef. The northern limit of the commune follows the Saint-Louis river.
Trade winds, called alizés, blow from the northeast and often temper the climate.
Sugar cane fields grow abundantly and a sugar factory is located in the north. There are two hotels and one restaurant in Grand-Bourg.
The Murat Plantation, with its 207 slaves, was considered in 1839 to be the largest sugar cane plantation in Guadeloupe. According to the legend, it was Jeanne Laballe, a fine arts student and wife of Dominique Murat, who laid out the chateau at the beginning of the 19th century. Today, it is an eco-museum of arts and traditions where on several hundred square meters it houses over three centuries of Guadeloupe's sugar refinery history up to the colonial age. The museum hosts a collection of historic documents, a lecture hall, and a garden of medicinal plants.
The Roussel-Trianon Plantation, today owned by the Council General of Guadeloupe, is noted for its stables, which are still in very good condition, and for the smoke stack of the old sugar refinery which figures on the list of historical monuments.
The Bielle distillery produces 120,000 liters of rum annually. The Poisson Distillery produces nearly 200,000 liters of its rum each year.
The Punch Pond played a role during dramatic events of 24 and 25 June 1849. A stele in memory of the martyrs of this historical event stands nearby. The family and rural center that adjoins this sight is creating a museum project, "Alonzo", that during the year 2000 will provide a scenography of the said events.
Armand Baptiste Sculpture Gallery has a permanent exhibition of wooden sculptures in many types of wood such as ebony, manchioneel, and campeachy. Au Gres Des Iles Potter's Workshop has an exhibition of pottery artifacts.
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
on the island of Marie-Galante
Marie-Galante
Marie-Galante is an island of the Caribbean Sea located at the south of Guadeloupe and at north of Dominica. Marie-Galante is a dependence of Guadeloupe which is a french overseas department....
, in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
overseas region and department of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
in the Lesser Antilles
Lesser Antilles
The Lesser Antilles are a long, partly volcanic island arc in the Western Hemisphere. Most of its islands form the eastern boundary of the Caribbean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean, with the remainder located in the southern Caribbean just north of South America...
Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. It is located in the southwest of Marie-Galante, and is the most populous of the three communes on the island.
Grand-Bourg hosts the headquarters of the communal association of Marie-Galante. The Marie-Galante Airfield is located in Grand-Bourg.
History
The Marais Folle Anse, a vast fresh water reserve, allowed habitation by native Arawaks at the beginning of the 1st millennium. It is possible that Christopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
visited in 1493 during his second voyage. In 1653, a fort was established by French colonists.
Geography
Grand-Bourg is located at the south-west of the island of Marie-Galante and is the location of the chief town. The co-ordinates are 15° 53'N and 61° 19'W.The major part of the commune consists of an undulating plateau. It is dominated by a broad littoral plain and mangrove forest in the north, with broad beaches in most coastal areas. In the south, the coast is protected by a coral reef. The northern limit of the commune follows the Saint-Louis river.
Climate
Grand-Bourg experiences rainfall evenly spread during the year, which is typical of Caribbean islands, with a wetter season between July and November which coincides with hurricane season. The town receives 1500–2500 mm of rainfall per year. Tropical heat is the norm, bringing constant highs of around 32°C (89°F) that drop to 20°C (68°F) at night.Trade winds, called alizés, blow from the northeast and often temper the climate.
Economy
Grand-Bourg is responsible for a significant part of the economic, commercial and administrative activity of the island. Its port is the most important on the island. Fishing and tourism are important parts of the economy. An airport ensures a connection with Guadeloupe in 15 minutes.Sugar cane fields grow abundantly and a sugar factory is located in the north. There are two hotels and one restaurant in Grand-Bourg.
Personalities
Charles-François Bonneville, born on March 13, 1803 was a mayor and adviser general of Grand-Bourg of 1854 to 1860 and president of the Chamber of Agriculture. He revived of the culture of cotton long silk which he tried out on the Thibault dwelling.Sights
The town is picturesque with its 19th-century church and nearby fort. The island's best beach lies adjacent to Grand-Bourg: Plage de la Feuillère, a 2 km (1 1/4-mile) stretch of white sand that is favored by swimmers and sunbathers.The Murat Plantation, with its 207 slaves, was considered in 1839 to be the largest sugar cane plantation in Guadeloupe. According to the legend, it was Jeanne Laballe, a fine arts student and wife of Dominique Murat, who laid out the chateau at the beginning of the 19th century. Today, it is an eco-museum of arts and traditions where on several hundred square meters it houses over three centuries of Guadeloupe's sugar refinery history up to the colonial age. The museum hosts a collection of historic documents, a lecture hall, and a garden of medicinal plants.
The Roussel-Trianon Plantation, today owned by the Council General of Guadeloupe, is noted for its stables, which are still in very good condition, and for the smoke stack of the old sugar refinery which figures on the list of historical monuments.
The Bielle distillery produces 120,000 liters of rum annually. The Poisson Distillery produces nearly 200,000 liters of its rum each year.
The Punch Pond played a role during dramatic events of 24 and 25 June 1849. A stele in memory of the martyrs of this historical event stands nearby. The family and rural center that adjoins this sight is creating a museum project, "Alonzo", that during the year 2000 will provide a scenography of the said events.
Armand Baptiste Sculpture Gallery has a permanent exhibition of wooden sculptures in many types of wood such as ebony, manchioneel, and campeachy. Au Gres Des Iles Potter's Workshop has an exhibition of pottery artifacts.