Citadelle Laferrière
| Citadelle Laferrière | |
|---|---|
The Citadelle Laferrière | |
| Location | Milot, Nord, Haiti |
| Coordinates | 19°34′25″N 72°14′38″W / 19.573611°N 72.243889°W |
| Area | 10,000 square metres (110,000 sq ft) |
| Elevation | 910 metres (2,990 ft) |
| Built | 1820 |
| Built by | Henri Christophe |
| Official name | National History Park – Citadel, Sans Souci, Ramiers |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iv, vi |
| Designated | 1982 (6th session) |
| Reference no. | 180 |
| State Party | Haiti |
| Region | Latin America and the Caribbean |
The Citadelle Laferrière (Haitian Creole: Sitadèl-Laferyè), commonly known as La Citadelle (English: "The Citadel"), is a large early 19th-century fortress located in Milot in Nord, Haiti. It is situated on the Bonnet à l'Evêque mountaintop located approximately 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) uphill from the town of Milot, 27 kilometres (17 mi) south of the city of Cap-Haïtien, and 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) southwest of the Three Bays Protected Area.
The Citadelle Laferrière was commissioned by Haitian revolutionary Henri Christophe, for whom it is also named Citadelle Henri Christophe, and built by tens of thousands of former slaves. It was the main fortification of the newly independent First Empire of Haiti's defensive strategy against a potential French incursion. The Citadelle is one of few Africans in New World-derived military fortifications in the New World, as well as the first example of African-derived colonial architecture. Designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1982 along with the Sans-Souci Palace, also commissioned by Christophe, the fortress is universally regarded as a landmark of Haiti.