Fort Saint Louis

 military, fortification, historic site, 17th century construction

Fort Saint Louis is a fortress on a peninsula at Fort-de-France, Martinique. Today the Fort is both a naval base and an Historic Monument. There are daily tours of the fort, though the portion that is still a naval base is off-limits.
In 1635, during the reign of Louis XIII, the French Compagnie des Îles de l'Amérique established a colony in Martinique, which it governed until 1650. In 1638 the colonists constructed a small fort at the end of the bay by Fort de France to protect vessels undergoing careening. The work was completed by 1672 due to the efforts of Governor General Jean-Charles de Baas-Castelmore, and a ditch was cut to separate the fort from the town.

Between 1850 and 1896, the French installed a number of artillery pieces at the Fort and at Pointe des Negres to protect the bay.