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History and heritageDiscover the ruins of a sugar dwelling18th century

Visit Château Dubuc

At the far end of the Caravelle peninsula in Tartane (Trinité), I’d like to take you to discover the remains of Château Dubuc, a former sugar dwelling dating back to the 18th century. The site has been protected and managed by the Parc Naturel Régional de Martinique since 2004 and listed as a Monument Historique since 1992. A visit to the château is not free of charge, and is accompanied by a map and an audio pen. It can be combined with one of the two hikes in the Caravelle peninsula nature reserve (free access). Once you’ve crossed the village of Tartane and passed the restaurant Le Phare, go to the end of the dirt track, leave your car in the parking lot and walk down to the château entrance. The Caravelle site is worth a visit as much for its heritage value as for the sublime views over the Baie du Trésor!

At the end of

the Caravelle peninsula

in Tartane

The tour is self-guided, so you’re free to wander around the estate at your own pace. At the gift store, you’ll be given a detailed map of the numbered remains of the dwelling. Each number refers to an audio track accessible by stylus. This is very useful, as you can choose which explanations to listen to as you go along, depending on your interests. The explanations are highly detailed, covering historical, technical and architectural aspects. To book a guided tour, call 0596 64 56 45.

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Origin of Château Dubuc

In 1657, Pierre Dubuc, originally from Dieppe in Normandy, landed in Martinique to escape the French king’s musketeers, following a duel. As a reward for his victories against the Caribbean Indians, he took possession of Trinité and Tartane in 1671, and began growing sugar cane, coffee and tobacco. The Dubuc family prospered, and a few years later, in 1725, it was Louis Dubuc, Pierre’s son, who took over the dwelling originally named Habitation Caravelle, which became Château Dubuc. The oldest map mentioning “Dubuq du Gallion” dates from 1770. Severely damaged by an earthquake and cyclone in 1727, the dwelling was abandoned and fell into ruin by the end of the 19th century.

The kitchen and the museum

The tour begins in the old kitchen, where a model shows what a sugar dwelling looked like in the 18th century. It continues in the small museum, which tells the story of theDubuc family, one of the first to arrive in Martinique in 1657, presenting the organization and operation of the estate, as well as some period objects.

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Stroll through the ruins

Then it’s time to explore the site, lulled by the trade winds and overlooking the sea. Before me stand the remains of the stone walls of the manor house built in 1735.

Below, the cattle mill, the pier, on either side the sugar mill, the distillery, the warehouses, the coffee plantation… A little further on, on the edge of the mangrove swamp and the sea, the lime kiln and the site of the slave huts.

And all around, a panoramic view of the entire peninsula.

In the direction of the visit… Allow 45 minutes to 1 hour

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The manor house

highest point (1740)

If it’s nicknamed ” château “, it’s probably because of its position, which dominates the whole dwelling. its size and small surface area of 300 m², built on two floors with rooms that were quite small for the time…

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The walls are built of stone and rubble. Immediately below, you can see the estate’s water supply system: cistern, fountain, basin, water hut with two sets of jars. To the side, vaults were later identified as dungeons. The staircases leading to the upper floor take you even higher.

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The cattle mill and sugar factory

We then descend to the buildings dedicated to industrial activity. The cattle mill, with its fifteen-metre span and conical roof resting on twelve pillars, is the first of these. Below, we come to the remains of the sugar factory proper: several batteries of sugar boilers, syrup boilers, vinegar factories and distilleries. Eight in all, which tells us something about the size of the estate. It was here that the harvested cane was transformed into sugar loaf, the island’s main source of wealth in the 18th century, and then shipped to mainland France.

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The seaside facilities

Descending the few steps to the sea, we see the pier, the large storage halls and the purgerie. The rest of the tour takes us to the largest hydraulic system in the dwelling, with its gullies, well (not too visible, as it’s obscured by the roots of a cursed fig tree) and rubble stone dam.

Of the estate’s 350 hectares, 100 hectares were planted with sugar cane, 20 hectares with coffee, and the rest with forest and savannah.

The warehouses

My tour continues towards the three huge warehouses, revealed during the 2012 archaeological dig, perfectly aligned and separated by two aisles, which were probably used for drying, sweetening and storing coffee.

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The lime kiln

On the way down to the sea, where the view of Baie du Trésor reveals its mangrove swamps, I stop in front of the lime kiln. It’s much larger than those we’re used to seeing on the island. Its opening, flush with the slope, reveals a large hole where shellfish and madrepores were burned.

The slave hamlet

Located above the lime kiln, deep in the coastal forest, the hamlet of the slave huts, of which there are no visible traces as Château Dubuc did not have a street of Negro huts, but still counted 373 slaves in 1772.

The cafeteria

Heading back towards the entrance and the main house, I discover the coffee mill, the coffee house and a building linked to life on the estate: the hospital.

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I was delighted by this visit, which taught me a great deal about the history of Martinique, with its moments of joy and its wounds.

The place is magnificent, offering a spectacular view, while at the same time reminding us of a cruel and painful past.

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Caravelle Lighthouse Tartane Trinite Martinique

The Caravelle loop

A superb hike takes in the splendid Presqu’île de la Caravelle, Martinique’s third most visited site!

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