Le Moule
Encyclopedia
Le Moule is the sixth-largest commune in the French
overseas
department of Guadeloupe
. It is located on the northeast side of the island of Grande-Terre
.
("mole" in French) that gave the city its new name, Le Moule, that became Guadeloupe's main commercial port. On September 20, 1828, Le Moule received rights to export its commodities to the metropolitan France without going through Pointe à Pitre. Thus having direct contact with French territory, it became a target for the British fleet during the Napoleon war
at the beginning of the 19th century. The heroic battle of 1809 remains a historic date for Guadeloupe.
In practice, all sugar cane, sugar and rum
produced in Grande Terre
were shipped from Le Moule's port. Consequently, the city enjoyed a flourishing commerce that was further supplemented by shipments of coffee
, cotton
, fertilizer
, coal
, building material and spare parts.
During the 19th century with its numerous refineries and plantations (at first about thirty then about one hundred) the planters lived a self-sufficient life style farming sugar cane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, spices and other essential food product, thus dominating Guadeloupean economics during the 1850s. After this date, they experienced many financial collapses because of failed crops, abolition of slavery
, the production of better sugar in Europe and the very strict "colonial pact". Shared farming has become necessary as well as industrial modernization and steam machines
replaced traditional windmills. The sugar crises forced a new decision. In 1901, only 4 refineries survived: Duchassaing, Zévallos, Marly and Gardel. Le Moule's port lost its place of dominance to Pointe à Pitre, the center of commerce shifted and the city fell into solitude.
The devastating cyclone
of 1928 was the sounding force and the point of return for the community. The city not only rose from its ruins thanks to Mayor Charles Romana, but it also constructed new buildings: the townhouse, schools, churches, roads and parks.
In 2002, Gabrielle Louis-Carabin became the mayor of Le Moule, and is also a member of the general council of Guadeloupe.
Le Moule's history, the richest on the island, enabled it to maintain many remains and relics, and to develop centers of interest around them that carry the visitor into a past full of emotion.
Some of the settlements in the commune of Le Moule are:
The Damoiseau Distillery in Bellevue in the middle of a sugar cane fields, this metallic plant is widely opened towards the outside. Production is limited to white rum, old vintage rum and punches all of which have been bestowed numerous awards for their quality.
The Gardel Plant was built under the reconstruction plan for the agriculture sector in 1870, after the historic financial collapse. It is owned by "Générale Sucrière", the world-leader in the sugar refinery industry. It is the sole refinery on the main island of Guadeloupe and, consequently, a symbol. Its installation in the epicenter of sugar cane plantations affords heavy production from March to July.
The Ouatibi-Tibi Archaeological Park is situated in Morel on 7 hectares of beach that run alongside the lagoon. It's a place for taking strolls, for relaxing and meditating. It's intensely rich in culture and is composed of 3 sites: a memorial center, an archaeological center & a recreation center.
The Edgar Clerc Museum s a prehistoric Pre-Columbian and Amerindian museum unique to the island. It is located west of the city and will help you to discover the traditions of the Tainos, Caribs, Arawaks and the Caribbean peoples through its collections of pottery and tools found at the diggings of the archaeological park in Morel.
The town hall was reconstructed after the 1928 cyclone by Ali Tur (son of a high ranking government official). Its massive round forms protect it definitely from the natural elements. Its interior decoration, austere and majestic, constantly reminds us of the people's power.
Driving through the Moulian countryside, you will see many windmills in sugarcane fields. These were indispensable for grinning the sugar cane before the arrival of steam machines that had larger flat capacity grinners. Dating back to the 18th century, some are still well maintained. The "tour des moulins" (trail of windmills) makes up a very pleasant route for mountain bike practice.
The Church of Saint Jean Baptiste was constructed in the form of a Latin cross, a neoclassic inspiration, this monument is classified. Since its reconstruction in 1840, it has resisted numerous cyclones. Its exceptional ventilation system preserves, wholly intact, a woody decor in pastel tones. This creates an atmosphere of prayer and meditation that is particularly appreciated by the faithful.
There are many hotels and restaurants which serve French, Continental, Creole and American dishes. And also a couple of beaches: L'Autre Bord, a sea-grape shaded beach on your way into Le Moule & Plage des Baies, about 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) north, which forms a shallow bay ideal for young swimmers.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
overseas
Département d'outre-mer
An overseas department is a department of France that is outside metropolitan France. They have the same political status as metropolitan departments. As integral parts of France and the European Union, overseas departments are represented in the National Assembly, Senate, and Economic and Social...
department of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
. It is located on the northeast side of the island of Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre is an island in the Guadeloupe, separated by Basse-Terre Island by a salt river. Grande-Terre's northernmost point, Pointe de la Grande Vigie, is also the northernmost point in Guadeloupe....
.
History
Beginning 1630 with the arrival of the French and during the 17th century, the village was called Portland. The principal part of the city was located on the actual site of Autre Bord, towards the east. During the 18th century, the city became the stronghold for colonial aristocracy and the center moved to the left bank of river Audoin. This was thanks to the development of sugar cane and for a better placement of the port on the Atlantic Ocean. A lot of important construction took place to protect and improve the city, one of which was a breakwaterBreakwater (structure)
Breakwaters are structures constructed on coasts as part of coastal defence or to protect an anchorage from the effects of weather and longshore drift.-Purposes of breakwaters:...
("mole" in French) that gave the city its new name, Le Moule, that became Guadeloupe's main commercial port. On September 20, 1828, Le Moule received rights to export its commodities to the metropolitan France without going through Pointe à Pitre. Thus having direct contact with French territory, it became a target for the British fleet during the Napoleon war
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
at the beginning of the 19th century. The heroic battle of 1809 remains a historic date for Guadeloupe.
In practice, all sugar cane, sugar and rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
produced in Grande Terre
Grande-Terre
Grande-Terre is an island in the Guadeloupe, separated by Basse-Terre Island by a salt river. Grande-Terre's northernmost point, Pointe de la Grande Vigie, is also the northernmost point in Guadeloupe....
were shipped from Le Moule's port. Consequently, the city enjoyed a flourishing commerce that was further supplemented by shipments of coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
, cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
, fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
, coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, building material and spare parts.
During the 19th century with its numerous refineries and plantations (at first about thirty then about one hundred) the planters lived a self-sufficient life style farming sugar cane, coffee, cotton, cocoa, spices and other essential food product, thus dominating Guadeloupean economics during the 1850s. After this date, they experienced many financial collapses because of failed crops, abolition of slavery
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
, the production of better sugar in Europe and the very strict "colonial pact". Shared farming has become necessary as well as industrial modernization and steam machines
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
replaced traditional windmills. The sugar crises forced a new decision. In 1901, only 4 refineries survived: Duchassaing, Zévallos, Marly and Gardel. Le Moule's port lost its place of dominance to Pointe à Pitre, the center of commerce shifted and the city fell into solitude.
The devastating cyclone
Cyclone
In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the same direction as the Earth. This is usually characterized by inward spiraling winds that rotate anticlockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale...
of 1928 was the sounding force and the point of return for the community. The city not only rose from its ruins thanks to Mayor Charles Romana, but it also constructed new buildings: the townhouse, schools, churches, roads and parks.
In 2002, Gabrielle Louis-Carabin became the mayor of Le Moule, and is also a member of the general council of Guadeloupe.
Le Moule's history, the richest on the island, enabled it to maintain many remains and relics, and to develop centers of interest around them that carry the visitor into a past full of emotion.
Climate
Le Moule is on the island of Guadeloupe in Caribbean, near the Equator. The town experiences warm/hot temperatures at day and cool temperatures at night. The temperature range at daytime vary between 80°F (27°C) to 84°F (29°C) between October-May & 84°F (29°C) to 90°F (32°C), sometimes above 90°F between. The heat and humidity are higher from July to October.Geography
Le Moule is on Grand-Terre Island. The island is a limestone plateau. The city extends along the north shore of the Atlantic coast, 51 km (31.7 mi), northeast of Pointe-a-Pitre. Its relief has an exceptional quality of life that is benefited first by the people, then agriculture and tourism. The surrounding are consists of mangrove swamps, golden sand beaches, small lagoons and fertile farmlands ;all that gives visitors the feeling of sharing an atmosphere of well being beside warm and inviting people. The city extends along the shore for several kilometres before letting place to countryside. The city's numerous road axes offer easy connection with other tourist sites. Also Le Moule receives enormous waves and surfing is a big thing to do.Some of the settlements in the commune of Le Moule are:
- BoisvinBoisvinBoisvin is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the east of Fonds d'Or, and to the south of Guillocheau and Laureal; Gardel and Renard are to its east....
- Cocoyer
- ConchouConchouConchou is a settlement in Guadeloupe, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the east of Le Moule; Guillocheau, Laureal, Guenette, and Portland are to its south....
- GardelGardel, GuadeloupeGardel is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. Boisvin is to its west, and Zevallos is to its east; to the north are Guillocheau, Laureal, Portland and Guenette....
- GuenetteGuenetteGuenette is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the east of Guillocheau and Laureal, and to the south of Conchou; Dubedou and Zevallos lie to its east, and Gardel and Renard to its south....
- LaurealLaurealLaureal is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the south of Lemercier, Le Moule, and Conchou, and to the north of Fonds d'Or, Boisvin, Renard, and Gardel....
- LemercierLemercier, GuadeloupeLemercier is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the east of La Rosette and Palais-Sainte-Marguerite; Le Moule is to its west....
- MahaudiereMahaudiereMahaudiere is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the north of La Goguette and to the west of Pressec and La Berthaudiere....
- Palais-Sainte-MargueritePalais-Sainte-MargueritePalais-Sainte-Marguerite is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the east of Sainte-Marguerite and to the west of Lemercier and Le Moule....
- PortlandPortland, GuadeloupePortland is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the east of Guillocheau and Laureal, and to the west of Dubedou and Zevallos; Conchou is to its north....
- La RosetteLa RosetteLa Rosette is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the west of Lemercier and to the south of Palais-Sainte-Marguerite....
- Saint-MargueriteSainte-Marguerite, GuadeloupeSainte-Marguerite is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. It is located to the west of Palais-Sainte-Marguerite....
- ZevallosZevallosZevallos is a settlement in Guadeloupe in the commune of Le Moule, on the island of Grande-Terre. Gardel and Renard are to its west; to its north is Conchou, and to its east are Guillot and Vezoux....
Economy
Le Moule was a sugar port in the 17-18th centuries. Now tourism has boomed and there are some seaside resorts on nearby beaches. There are 2 distilleries nearby. Agriculture is predominantly spread around Le Moule with fields growing bananas, sugarcane & livestock rearing.Sights
Le Moule has an array of sights to see either in or around Le Moule.The Damoiseau Distillery in Bellevue in the middle of a sugar cane fields, this metallic plant is widely opened towards the outside. Production is limited to white rum, old vintage rum and punches all of which have been bestowed numerous awards for their quality.
The Gardel Plant was built under the reconstruction plan for the agriculture sector in 1870, after the historic financial collapse. It is owned by "Générale Sucrière", the world-leader in the sugar refinery industry. It is the sole refinery on the main island of Guadeloupe and, consequently, a symbol. Its installation in the epicenter of sugar cane plantations affords heavy production from March to July.
The Ouatibi-Tibi Archaeological Park is situated in Morel on 7 hectares of beach that run alongside the lagoon. It's a place for taking strolls, for relaxing and meditating. It's intensely rich in culture and is composed of 3 sites: a memorial center, an archaeological center & a recreation center.
The Edgar Clerc Museum s a prehistoric Pre-Columbian and Amerindian museum unique to the island. It is located west of the city and will help you to discover the traditions of the Tainos, Caribs, Arawaks and the Caribbean peoples through its collections of pottery and tools found at the diggings of the archaeological park in Morel.
The town hall was reconstructed after the 1928 cyclone by Ali Tur (son of a high ranking government official). Its massive round forms protect it definitely from the natural elements. Its interior decoration, austere and majestic, constantly reminds us of the people's power.
Driving through the Moulian countryside, you will see many windmills in sugarcane fields. These were indispensable for grinning the sugar cane before the arrival of steam machines that had larger flat capacity grinners. Dating back to the 18th century, some are still well maintained. The "tour des moulins" (trail of windmills) makes up a very pleasant route for mountain bike practice.
The Church of Saint Jean Baptiste was constructed in the form of a Latin cross, a neoclassic inspiration, this monument is classified. Since its reconstruction in 1840, it has resisted numerous cyclones. Its exceptional ventilation system preserves, wholly intact, a woody decor in pastel tones. This creates an atmosphere of prayer and meditation that is particularly appreciated by the faithful.
There are many hotels and restaurants which serve French, Continental, Creole and American dishes. And also a couple of beaches: L'Autre Bord, a sea-grape shaded beach on your way into Le Moule & Plage des Baies, about 1 km (0.621372736649807 mi) north, which forms a shallow bay ideal for young swimmers.