A Splash of Danish Colour in Christiansted, St. Croix

Christiansted is the capital of St. Croix in the United States Virgin Islands. The settlement was first established by the Danes in the 18^th Century, although much of the actual construction was done by slaves from Africa.

The Christiansted National Historic Site is located in the heart the town and preserves a cluster of five significant buildings from the Danish period of the island’s development.

Fort Christiansværn is the oldest of the Christiansted National Historic Site structures. It was built in 1738 to protect the Danish West Indies, as the US Virgin Islands were then called.

The Danish Customs House officially dates from 1844, although parts of it apparently go back as far as 1751.

The Old Scale House is the most recent of the Christiansted National Historic Site buildings, dating from 1856. The official scales used by the Danish authorities are still present, built straight into the floor.

The Steeple building (on the left) began life as a Lutheran Church in 1750, with its eponymous steeple being added in the 1790s. It was abandoned by its congregation in 1831, due to the building’s poor state of repair, and was subsequently used as a military bakery and storehouse, a hospital and a school.

This post was inspired by the theme Yellow from Cee (of Cee’s Photography) and A Splash of Color from Nancy (of Nancy Merrill Photography)

With some friends at Fort Christiansværn

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