PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN
Philipsburg is the main town on the Dutch side of the Netherlands Antilles island of Sint Maarten, on a narrow stretch of land between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. It is also the capital of all of Sint Maarten.
Philipsburg was discovered by Christopher Columbus on 11 November 1493 but there was already an Arawak settlement there before he made the discovery.
Philipsburg was founded in 1763 by John Philips, a Scottish captain in the Dutch navy, and soon became a bustling center of international trade.
Two historic forts bear witness to Philipsburg's strategic importance in St. Maarten's history: Fort Amsterdam and Fort Willem.
The main shopping district, Front Street, is in the heart of the city. Philipsburg has a port that is home to many cruise liners, including the Carnival Valor.
 FORT AMSTERDAM
Fort Amsterdam is a historic fort on the island of Saint Martin, near the town of Philipsburg. It was built in 1631 on a peninsula between Great Bay and Little Bay, was the first Dutch military outpost in the Caribbean.
Unfortunately, it was soon captured by the Spanish, who made it their most important bastion east of Puerto Rico. The Spanish abandoned the fort in 1648, and since then it has remained in Dutch hands.
All military operations ceased in the 19th century, although the fort was used as a signaling and communications station into the 1950s. A few walls of the original bastion remain, and the site provides an outstanding view of modern Philipsburg.
FORT WILLEM
Fort Willem, easily recognizable by its television transmission tower, is a historic fort that lies just to the west of downtown Philipsburg, Netherlands Antilles. Built in 1801 by the British, it was taken over by the Dutch in 1816.
It's an easy hike up to the fort, with a scenic panorama of Philipsburg and neighboring islands at the top, easily recognizable by its television transmission tower, is a historic fort that lies just to the west of downtown Philipsburg, Netherlands Antilles.
Built in 1801 by the British, it was taken over by the Dutch in 1816. It's an easy hike up to the fort, with a scenic panorama of Philipsburg and neighboring islands at the top
From Wikipedia.org, the Free Encyclopedia
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