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The
town comes alive at around 5.30am at the outdoor market
(fish and produce early on, clothing and crafts later) at Vendor's
Plaza, in front of Emancipation Park, a shady respite from
the hustle and bustle, which commemorates the 1848 emancipation of
the island's slaves.
Just below the park, on Waterfront Highway, is
the red-brick Fort Christian (Mon-Fri 8am-4.30pm & Sat
10am-3pm), the oldest standing building on the island. Danish troops
resisted attacks from the Spanish, British, French and pirates here
and during its 300-year life the fort has also been a jail, church,
courthouse, and home for the governor.
Inside, the Virgin Island
Museum (Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm; free) evocatively charts the
islands' history from pre-colonial times to the present day. Due
south, on Veteran's Drive, the lime-green Legislature Building
(daily 8am-5pm) is the place where the Danes transferred ownership
of the islands to the US in 1917; today it's the seat of the USVI
governing body.
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Head north on a steady climb up Government Hill,
taking a break first at Norre Gade, where the Georgian-style
Frederick Lutheran Church stands on the site of the first Danish
church in the Virgin Islands, which was destroyed by fire. The
current structure, built by black parishioner, Jean Reeneaus, dates
to the early nineteenth century. Northeast of the church, on Kongens
Gade, the imposing white mansion of Government House (Mon-Fri
8am-5pm; free), built in 1867, was originally a meeting place for
the Danish Colonial Council.
Now the administrative headquarters of
the US Virgin Islands it also houses a museum showcasing work by
famous local artists like Camille Pissarro and Pepino Mangravatti.
Just to the west is the start of the palm-lined 99 Steps
(there are actually 103), which lead north towards the top of
Government Hill affording exquisite views of the harbor and beyond.
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U.S. Virgin Islands
guide
Caribbean guide
Laid in the mid-1700s by Danes living in the hills, they were the
original access to the waterfront and to Blackbeard's Castle, otherwise known as Fort Skytsborg, said to have been the tower the
legendary pirate Blackbeard used for an unobstructed view of the
ocean.
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