Discovering Haiti: Bombardopolis, a verdant plateau built for peace 261 years ago | Part 1 of 2

Editor’s Note: In this 2-part story, explore the beauty and history of Bombardopolis in Part 1 and its challenges and economic potential in Part 2. 

BOMBARDOPOLIS, Haiti — The colonizers first called it Des Sources, French for ‘water sources.’ The coastal plateau just off the Atlantic Ocean, sitting directly across from Môle Saint-Nicolas on the northwestern coast of Saint-Domingue, was bursting with springs and rivers, a kaleidoscope of greenery and vibrant vegetation across its thick, lush forests and pristine beaches. 

Looking at the wondrous sights, the colonizers saw a land ripe for cultivation — and enrichment. Before they brought in enslaved Africans as chattel, the colonizers forced the Indigenous to work the land, then fellow Europeans. The French, who controlled the western side of Hispaniola at the time, brought in French Acadians from Louisiana Territory and Germans who had migrated to French Guiana, at the tip of South America, to cultivate the land. 

When tensions arose between the two settler groups, the French government gave Des Sources city status, calling it Bombardopolis, to foster a peaceful and welcoming atmosphere between them all. 

“Bombardopolis’ motto is hospitality,” said Céifenel “Paul” Dévulien, a former schoolteacher and veterinary assistant from Bombardopolis, citing popular wisdom.

“Indeed, the community was very created first and foremost to foster peace and a hospitable environment,” he added, expressing his understanding of what he believed was the plan of the European colonizers.

When people think of Haiti’s positive side, few can conjure images beyond the beaches and agricultural fields. But in the northwest, there is Bombardopolis—a 200-square-mile commune founded 261 years ago that boasts pristine beaches, a rich history and stunning highlands. This region is home to a towering green plateau, with elevations ranging from 1,300 feet to nearly 2,300 feet above sea level. Here, visitors can enjoy breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, beautiful beaches and a distinctive blend of cultural and historical narratives, such as its founding story.

Yet, like so many others tucked all over Haiti, this hidden gem remains largely unacknowledged. 

 “Out of all the municipalities in the Northwest Department, Bombardopolis offers unique attractions and potential due to its rich history, vast plateaus, beautiful beaches, valleys, hills and plains,” Waltere Gallion Bien-Aimé, a retired teacher and former director of the public high school Lycée Ménélas Borde in Bombardopolis, told The Haitian Times.

Abel Jean-Baptiste, an agricultural and reforestation technician from the commune who now lives in South Florida, said the area is a perfect place for people looking to hike mountain trails. 

“The region can attract those interested in kiteboarding, sailing, kitesurfing, wakeboarding, windsurfing, hiking and swimming,” Jean-Baptiste told The Haitian Times.

“The entire area is already a hub for farming and fisheries, and it has extraordinary potential for trade.”

A naturally peaceful climate             

Located at the border of Cap-à-Foux overlooking the Gonâve Gulf, Bombardopolis experiences a warm and breezy tropical climate. The temperature generally varies from 69°F to 81°F, creating a pleasant atmosphere for much of the year. 

Despite its many water sources, Bombardopolis often suffers from the challenges of a semi-arid climate, receiving about 20 to 30 inches of rainfall annually, with distinct rainy and dry seasons.                                 

Records from 1797 discuss the area’s struggle with water shortages even then. According to Médéric Louis Élie Moreau de Saint-Méry, an early chronicler of Haiti’s history, these areas typically face a yearly water deficit ranging from 12 to 24 inches. This deficit is lower than that of the neighboring Môle Saint-Nicolas and Baie-de-Henne communes.  

While the higher regions of the plateau receive more rainfall, the southern areas along the Atlantic cliff face remain drier, contributing to long-standing agricultural difficulties. 

The inconsistency of the rainy season often leads to droughts and floods, affecting agriculture and residents’ livelihoods. Over the years, deforestation for quick charcoal revenues has also worsened these conditions, reducing water retention and exacerbating erosion.

Turning colonial conflict into coexistence 

The city’s historical records provide much support for the peaceful existence assertion, sort of. Môle Saint-Nicolas’s French colonial administrator, Jean-Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet, wished to separate those of German ancestry from the Acadians, believing that the two cultures could not coexist happily. 

To minimize inter-ethnic conflicts, theft and other issues, a new community was founded as an exclusive zone for the Germans. However, the French remained in charge as the administrators collecting taxes. As a symbol of guarantee to the Germans, the area was named after Aublet’s German benefactor, Pierre-Paul Bombarda, a wealthy financier and amateur naturalist. Aublet combined Bombarda with the Greek term “polis,” meaning “city.” Thus, the name Bombardopolis was coined for Bombarda City.

On January 17, 1784, Bombardopolis was elevated to the rank of parish and entered the official history of the French colony, then Saint-Domingue. Its initial first European inhabitants were Germans, each receiving a portion of cultivable land. Following Haiti’s independence from France, the town gained municipal status in 1821 under Jean-Pierre Boyer’s presidency. 

Besides the light it sheds on how different cultures arrived in Haiti, the history of Bombardopolis includes many pivotal moments. Today, the remnants remain visible through local landmarks in Bombardopolis’ three communal sections—La Plate-Forme, Des Forges, and Plaine-d’Orange. Among them are the ruins of Rochefort, natural and artificial caves, and plantation wells. Historical and colorfully-named sites abound, in places like Coulong, Camp Blaise, Citerne, Découvert, Fonds-Jacques, Nan Ravine, Calvaire, Daniel, Chilotte, Pélissier, Vital, Baptiste Borne, Des Moulins, Pacot, Des Ruisseaux, Ti Banbou, Fouye Lajan, Dèpitimi, Peri, Fonds Robert, Floxie, Jean-Macoute, Latisous, Dèbariyè, Croix Arnold or Kwa Alman.

Key events that shaped Bombardopolis:

• 1765: The first seven Africans are brought to Bombardopolis to work as slaves on a coffee and indigo plantation owned by the King of France. 
• 1768: The town had grown to 30 enslaved Africans, with 16 employed in agriculture and 14 in building forts. 
• 1775: The rising number of enslaved Africans and their children prompts the construction of straw huts across 40 plantations. 
• 1780s-1803: Enslaved Africans begin engaging in acts of rebellion and revolt to gain freedom.
• 1794: English forces stationed at Môle Saint-Nicolas attempt an attack on Bombardopolis in March. About 150 Germans repelled the attack.
• 1799: Planters from Bombardopolis lay siege to Môle Saint-Nicolas. Jacques Maurepas, commander of the Môle Saint-Nicolas district under Toussaint Louverture, successfully defends against the insurgents.
• 1799: French General Augustin Clerveaux arrives in Bombardopolis and launches a vigorous assault that overcomes the strong resistance. 
• 1803: The French evacuate Bombardopolis.
• 1804: People of African descent become the majority group, whose population had already reached 950 in 1789 as opposed to 600 European colonizers, according to Maurice De Young, an American architect and researcher who grew up in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
• 1850s: Germans who settled permanently in Bombardopolis officially became Haitian citizens. Their presence eventually caused tension with the Haitian government due to their interference in internal affairs, including several failed coup attempts. To avert threats of violence, they exerted pressure on the government for exorbitant indemnities over a minor incident at the Port-au-Prince dock.
• 1910: Despite numbering only 200 individuals, the German community wields significant economic influence in Haiti. They dominate the export market, acquire the struggling National Bank of Haiti, and marry Haitian women to obtain land. By manipulating regulations, they profited from trading in Haitian currency. Bombardopolis was an integral part of that German dominance. 
• 1915-1934: When the United States occupied Haiti during World War I, all Germans were interned and their property confiscated. After the end of World War I, most Germans leave Haiti due to the continued American occupation of the country and the resulting hostile atmosphere. Some with established family ties returned to Haiti, reclaiming their businesses and assets. 
• 1940: When Haiti declares war on Germany during World War II, all German property is again confiscated. German Haitians who retained their German citizenship were imprisoned. 
• 1942: At the request of the American government, interned Germans were transferred to the United States. 
• 1946: President Dumarsais Estimé allows the Germans, then incarcerated at Ellis Island, to return to Haiti. The U.S. Monroe Doctrine curtails German meddling in Haitian affairs. 

Since the 1915 occupation, the U.S. has exerted total influence over the Bombardopolis region mainly through the interventions of NGOs and Protestant missions, using humanitarian aid and the spreading of churches as primary tools. 

Sources: 

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bombardopolis and https://haiti.fandom.com/wiki/Bombardpolis

Republic of Haiti/Office of Mines and Energy: https://www-bme-gouv-ht.translate.goog/?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc/

Institut Haïtien de Statistique et d’Informatique (IHSI): https://ihsi.gouv.ht/     

Maurice De Young: Profile of the Northwest (1981): pdf.usaid.gov

Editor’s Note: Stay tuned for Part 2 focusing on Bombardopolis’ challenges and economic potential.

The post Discovering Haiti: Bombardopolis, a verdant plateau built for peace 261 years ago | Part 1 of 2 appeared first on The Haitian Times.