History History

The Arawaks settled in the West Indies without ever settling on the island. Just passing through, a few objects were found near the beach of Saint-Jean on the current airport.

After his historic voyage, the famous Genoese cartographer and sailor Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) first discovered Saint Martin and the surrounding islands.

The island is called Ouanalao by the natives, and on his second voyage, Columbus gave it its present name in homage to his brother Bartholomeo. This did not change much in the life of the island, because deserted, without any agricultural or gold potential, it continued to remain out of sight and out of mind until 1648. The Spaniards did not develop the island because it was considered too small.

The Spaniards showed no interest in Saint Bartholomew's Day. The island was then occupied by sixty French colonists led by Jacques Gentes (or Le Gendre) on the orders of the commander Philippe de Longvilliers de Poincy (1583-1660), a member of the Knights of Malta.

The island is sold to the Order of Malta for £120,000. And Philippe de Longvilliers de Poincy remains governor of the island until his death. A handful of Frenchmen develop tobacco cultivation.

France recovers the island under the influence of Minister Colbert.

The handful of inhabitants in 1671 were slaves who served mainly as farm laborers (290 colonists and 46 slaves). The founding families were the Gréaux, Aubin and Bernier families, followed by the Questel, Laplace and Lédée families between 1681 and 1687.

After episodes of depopulation due to possession and war between France and Great Britain, Saint-Barthélemy came back under the control of France after a short English period (1748). The Treaty of Paris, on March¹, 1764, dispossessed France of certain colonies such as Canada, but kept Saint-Barthélemy. At the Musée du P'tit Collectionneur in Gustavia, you will discover bottles dating from 1700, coins, swords of the Infantry..

Franco-Swedish convention. Under Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, close friends of the King of Sweden. Charles Gravier, Count of Vergennes (1719-1787) and Minister of Foreign Affairs sells the island to the King of Sweden, Gustav III, in exchange for commercial rights to Sweden in Gothenburg. It is the only territory that Sweden has in the New World. The Domaine de Félicité à Public plunges you into this Franco-Swedish period.

Saint-Barthélemy is declared a free port

Gustav III of Sweden, born on 24 January 1746 in Stockholm and murdered on 29 March 1792, was fond of the philosophy of the Enlightenment and the arts. A Francophile, he knew Voltaire's language better than Swedish. Orchestrating a French island could only fill him up... Gustave III, intends to make his acquisition profitable by giving it back a leading commercial role. In 1799, there were 1,504 ships in the port!

A beautiful economic opening thanks to the port of Gustavia (formerly called the Carénage). It served as a supply base on the way to the West Indies. The port developed and an organized administration was set up. Equipping the port was essential as many ships came to anchor in this protected area. The island was declared a free port in September 1785 and took the name "Gustavia" in 1786 in honor of the king. The free port became a privileged place of passage for ships of all nationalities that frequented the Caribbean. A status that is still valid today.

A rapid urbanization developed during this period. When the first Swedes arrived, the city had only 23 inhabitants, including 6 slaves. The streets were paved. The Swedish period was a sign of commercial prosperity and the population reached 6,000 souls in 1800. You will find in Gustavia a strong attachment to this past, as evidenced by the names of the streets translated into Swedish, such as "rue du Général de Gaulle" in "östra Strandgatan".

The listed buildings on the island date from this period of prosperous development. Three forts were built to ensure the defense of the island: Fort Gustave ensured the defense of the Anse de Public, Fort Octave, Fort Karl). And a city hall. There is also the Dinzey House (known as Brigantin), the Wall House (known as Steinmetz House), which was used as a guest house, the Swedish bell tower... In Public, there is the monument in memory of the Swedes in the old cemetery

As far as agriculture is concerned, the tobacco that the French had planted continues to be cultivated. But this will be short-lived, because the island is not conducive to large plantations. Indigo bushes abound and there are up to 9 indigo factories on the island. Indigo was widely used at that time to color fabrics that were then exported.

Official abolition of slavery by the Swedish Crown.

A period of decline due in particular to climatic debacles (cyclones, drought, torrential rain) and a fire that set fire to Gustavia. In 1875, the number of inhabitants in the port was reduced to 793.

Oscar II, King of Norway and Sweden then decided to get rid of the island by the treaty of August 10, 1877. The decision was largely approved by the population (351 votes to 1), consulted by referendum in August, and became effective on 16 March 1878, the date on which the exchange of flags took place. The island is administratively attached to the Guadeloupe archipelago located 230 kilometres further south, of which it became one of the communes in 1946.

This hotelier pilot landed the first plane on the island, opening Saint-Barth up to the world. A first air link brings North America and Guadeloupe closer together.
The London-born adventurer of a French mother and Dutch father, with a passion for aviation, lands his small plane among the goats on the plain of Saint-Jean. He was the first to land on this tiny island! He was an atypical character, in love with the spirit of the island: people with values, who live and make do with a simple life on a small stretch of often arid rock... He chose as his anchorage point the rock on the beach of Saint-Jean, which he named the Eden Rock. His eagle's nest became a hotel frequented by David Rockfeller, "Captain Troy", Greta Garbo and Robert Mitchum. Rémy didn't live just one life, but several, all equally rich and complementary to each other: he became mayor from 1962 to 1977 and also served as the island's general councillor for 21 years. He was the first to think of a special status for the island in terms of tourism.
Immerse yourself in the hectic life of this adventurer, his desire for freedom and discover his integrity and love for Saint-Barth with the book "The Flying Gentleman", published by Bartoloméo, a Caribbean vaudeville narrated by Rémy de Haenen.

At a time when the island was slumbering quietly, almost forgotten on the Caribbean map, American businessman David Rockefeller arrived on the rock by chance and was seduced by the island's tropical nature and rural character. Accustomed to the Bahamas, he found Saint-Barthélemy more authentic. At the time, the island was rural and the land had no real value. In 1957, he bought a 27-hectare property in the north of the island, with a magnificent view over Colombier Bay. At first, his friends invested by buying land, and soon wealthy American families followed suit. The island began to focus on luxury tourism, with the construction of private villas. These were the beginnings of elitist tourism.

New coat of arms of St. Bartholomew, description :

Ouanalao: the Caribbean Indian name for Saint Bartholomew,

The Maltese Cross illustrates that the island belonged to the Order of Malta.

The fleur-de-lys represents the French monarchy: it marks the reign of France.

The gold mural crown represents the Greek goddesses who protected the fortune of a city.

The crowns of three Swedish kings: Swedish period of the island

Pelicans: the popularity of these birds made them the island's mascot.

December 2003, the island begins a new statutory identity: the voters of Saint-Barthélemy approve by popular consultation the institutional project making their island a territorial collectivity with a single assembly detached from the DOM-ROM of Guadeloupe.

The organic law of 21 February 2007 thus created two new fully-fledged overseas collectivities (COM), Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy. They can keep the tax advantages they have acquired.

Birth of the community. The first territorial elections of Saint-Barthélemy are called in July 2007 and the island officially becomes an overseas collectivity on Sunday 15: the commune of Saint-Barthélemy is dissolved, as well as the departmental district and the canton. The 19 members of the Council elected Mr Bruno Magras (UMP) as President of the Territorial Assembly. Saint-Barth is similar to the functioning of a French principality: it has its own laws and tax rules (except for banking law, security, education and a few other regalian areas).

Its population (491 inhabitants in 1974, 9,417 inhabitants today) has integrated inhabitants with new origins, but remains constrained by the deliberately limited capacity of the local infrastructure. Many houses are owned by rich celebrities such as Roman Abramovitch, Jean Reno... Saint-Barth favours media tranquillity and the hotel industry is mainly made up of small establishments, 60% of which are in the luxury category.

Bruno Magras is a native of the island, and one of its 10 major families. He was first elected President of the Territorial Council of Saint-Barthélemy on July 15, 2007, after serving as mayor in 1995. He was re-elected in 2012 and 2017. He is known as an intrepid and pragmatic businessman. He owns the only aviation company in St Barth: St Barth Commuter. In 2022, he will hand over the presidency of the Collectivité to Xavier Lédée.

The island is experiencing its longest night of anguish. In the early morning, the category 5 cyclone Irma literally disfigured the island! Solidarity is set up, its inhabitants are busy and the island is rebuilt in record time. Two years later, the island benefits from brand new infrastructures and an offer at the cutting edge of modern tourist requirements

In 2017, the island chic in the eyes of the media also became a shock island with the funeral of Johnny Hallyday in Lorient.

Like all the West Indies, whose economy depends almost entirely on tourism, Saint-Barthélemy is in crisis with the COVID 19 pandemic. Nearly 5,000 cases and 5 deaths have been reported on the island. With the easing of sanitary measures and the reopening of borders, the 2022 season was good. Saint-Barthélemy has returned to its usual attendance levels.