Fort Cépérou
The last one in the list of the most famous historical sites in French Guiana is Fort Cépérou. Fort Cépérou is a medieval fort perched on a hill overlooking the Cayenne River and the capital city of Cayenne in French Guiana, a French overseas territory in South America. Although there isn't much of the fort left today, what is left can be seen atop the hill that carries the same name on the western outskirts of the city.
Despite some "attempts" by the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and English to create a colony, the French were the ones to do it, with Admiral Charles Poncet de Brétigny purchasing the property from the local indigenous tribe and establishing Fort Cépérou as a fort in 1643. The fort was then erected completely of wood, with a tiny town directly beneath the main building, where Brétigny frightened not only the locals but also the colonists who had settled in the new colony. In 1644, he was assassinated by the villagers for this reason. At that time, construction on a new fort began, this time with a stone bastion to provide superior defense in the event of an attack. The fort was repeatedly rebuilt and reconquered throughout the years, until Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, a French military engineer, designed and erected the enormous ramparts that ringed the original structure in 1689.
Today, very little remains of Fort Cépérou, as the Portuguese who conquered Guiana between 1809 and 1817 destroyed all of the location's defenses. All that is left now are some walls and the bell tower, also known as the pagoda, which has been demolished several times. Because of the historical significance of the pagoda, which has stood there since the early nineteenth century, it has been designated as a Historic Monument, and in 2016, restoration work was completed in order to preserve it for future generations and all tourists interested in learning more about Cayenne's history.
People can still go in and enjoy what is left of the old fortress, and with the amazing views of the capital Cayenne and the river beneath, the pleasure and joy will be increased to the maximum extent possible.
Location: Cayenne
