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The mission of Water and Education International (WEI) is to combat poverty and disease while promoting education, sustainability, wellness and nutrition by providing safe water and educational opportunities to the underprivileged of the global community thereby improving their quality of life
The Famous Citadelle
Citadelle Laferriere
We were fortunate on a mission trip to be taken on a tour featuring 2 of Haiti's most popular historical sites. For information on The Palace, click here
The Citadelle Laferriere or Citadel, was built by Henri Christophe a leader in the early Haitian Revolution. In order to protect attacks from the French, he commissioned an massive fortress to be built.
The Citadel was built 3,000 ft. atop Bonet a L'eveque mountain. The purpose was to provide a lookout. The view from the Citadel is amazing. It's possible on clear days, to view Cuba (90 miles eastward)
The structure is made of stone. The walls rise 130 ft upward, and the entire complex is 108,000 sq.ft.
The citadelle was also used as a military training camp. This includes a ledge overlooking a steep cliff. If soldiers weren't up to par, they would be pushed over the cliff to their demise.
There are still stockpiles of handmade cannons in the yards. The rear buildings were said to hold enough food and rations for his family and at least 5,000 solidiers for up to 1 year.
Henri Christophe was a general in the Haitian army. He and Alexandre Petion staged a coup against the Desselaines regime. This led to a power struggle between the two and Haiti was split into 2 regions.
Legend has it the Christophe committed suicide with a silver bullet. He is entombed inside the Citadel to this day.
