Martinique: Fort-de-France – Fort Royal
Before Fort-de-Franc became the capital of Martinique, the French first decided to built a formidable Fort Louis here to protect against the British in 1638. The first fort got destroyed shortly after construction, and the French rebuilt it into a much bigger one in 1869, with a Vauban impregnable star-shaped design, and renamed it into Fort-Royal. The town behind the fort also took that name, before being renamed eventually into Fort-de-France (the residents of the city still call themselves foyals, which is a Creole abbreviation of Fort Royal.. The fortress features imposing stone walls, bastions, and cannons, and there is still a military garrison stationed here.
