Castries
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Castries | |
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Top: View of Castries; Middle: Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Castries Harbour; Downtown Castries, Saint Lucia Government House | |
Eastern Caribbean Time Zone (ECT)) | |
Area code | 758 |
Website | www |
Castries
Castries is on a flood plain and is built on
Castries is the birthplace of
History
In 1650, the fort auprès du Petit Cul-de-Sac et de la rivière du Carénage was founded by a group of 40 Frenchmen led by de Rousselan, when
In 1835, the British built the western wharf in 1642 to facilitate the coal trade and the first steamship arrived in 1841, the
During World War II on 9 March 1942, the German U-161 sailed into Castries harbor at night and sank two allied ships,[7]: 275 [8] including the Canadian ocean liner RMS Lady Nelson, which was subsequently refloated in the harbour and taken to Canada to be converted to a hospital ship.
Castries has been rebuilt many times, following major fires on 15 October 1805, 6 April 1813, and most notably on 19 June 1948.[7]: 124–125, 289
Tourism
One of the major tourist areas in St. Lucia, Castries is a port of call for cruise ships. They dock at Pointe Seraphine, to the north of the harbour.[9]
Landmarks include the
Transport
Castries is served by
Ferries run between Castries and Fort-de-France, Martinique. Yachts may dock in Castries, though they must clear customs first. When the customs area is full, yachts must anchor at the quarantine dock to wait; those that do not are fined. Afterward, yachts may anchor in front of Castries Town or Vigie Creek.
Standard bus routes run from Castries to all outlying districts on the island. The buses are private (not subsidized by government) bearing green license plates with numbers that start with an M—for example, M456.
Political institutions
As well as being the capital city of Saint Lucia, Castries hosts the secretariat of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States.[11] Castries also hosts the headquarters of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court.
The mayor of Castries is Geraldine Lendor-Gabriel, who took office in September 2021.[12]
A number of international embassies and consulates keep their headquarters in Castries. They include the
See also
References
- ^ "Castries City Council - St Lucia". Archived from the original on 2009-09-28. Retrieved 2009-07-29.
- ^ "Weather in Castries. Current weather | lc.freemeteo.com". Freemeteo.com. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ "St Lucia Travel Guide and Travel Information". Worldtravelguide.net. Archived from the original on 2010-06-08. Retrieved 2016-08-10.
- ^ "Castries". GeoNames. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
- ^ "Map of Castries" (PDF). The Central Statistical Office of Saint Lucia. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
- ^ Law, Gwillim (2015). "Districts of Saint Lucia". Statoids. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ ISBN 9789769534001.
- ISBN 9780333747605.
- ^ "The Top 10 Things to Do in Castries, St. Lucia". Travel Tips - USA Today. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
- ^ "SLASPA - George F.L. Charles Airport". SLASPA. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "OECS - Secretariat" (PDF). OECS. November 4, 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
- ^ "New mayor, councillors sworn in" (Press release). Office of the Prime Minister. 2 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
- "Castries, the City that Rose from the Ashes". Saint Lucia Tourism. 20 January 2021. Retrieved August 17, 2021.
External links
- Interactive tour of St. Lucia's History and Culture: Official site for St. Lucia Tourist Board
- Worldaware Lesson plan on Castries: site owned by SOS Charity UK