Caravels with fearless corsairs and black flags on masts, buried treasures waiting for their owners, ghosts of gentlemen of fortune - all these are not inventions of writers, but a very real past of some still existing settlements on Earth. What else can the former pirate cities tell us about? What is there now? Let's figure it out!
Port Royal, Jamaica
Very little remains of Jamaica's once glittering pirate capital, Port Royal, just a handful of historic buildings. Everything else, and this is a multitude of temples of different denominations, inns, warehouses, taverns, military fortifications, shops and residential areas, was swallowed up by the sea as a result of a serious earthquake at the end of the 17th century.
In those days, about 7 thousand people lived in the city, now Port Royal is almost deserted. It is a modest village, the inhabitants of which can only remember the former greatness of Port Royal and the not always righteous deeds of their ancestors. Tourists are left with a visit to 2 miraculously survived ancient forts, in one of which there is a museum in our time.
The corsairs appeared in Port Royal with the active support of the British, who did their best to harm the Spaniards and prevent them from transporting the treasures of the New World to the Old. Port Royal Harbor was safe for pirates because of the coral reefs in the immediate vicinity, which were an insurmountable obstacle for the Spanish crown fleet.
Port Royal was home to the most famous pirates of the time, for example, the legendary Henry Morgan.
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the main city of the Bahamas. For centuries in the past, it was a pirate base from where merchant ships sailing across the ocean to Europe were raided. It is known that it was here that the pirate Edward Teach, nicknamed Blackbeard, organized his headquarters.
The pirates from Nissau annoyed everyone. However, the British decided to fight them, who equipped several ships to capture the most famous local corsairs. Some of the pirates were warned of the impending attack and were able to leave their home. The rest decided that this was a great chance to stop criminal activity and become good citizens. The money stolen was enough to open their own businesses. Therefore, the pirates simply mixed with the rest of the civilian population and remained in Nassau until the end of their days as ordinary inhabitants.
Now in Nassau there is a Pirate Museum, where you can see:
- recreated dwellings of corsairs;
- life-size galleon "Revenge";
- pirate treasures, maps, flags, clothes, weapons of the most famous filibusters;
- pirate wax figures to take pictures with.
Ile Sainte Marie, Madagascar
The island of Sainte-Marie, located 6 km from Madagascar, is now officially called Nosy Buraja. Considered one of the best diving spots on the African continent, this tropical paradise has been used extensively by pirates for recreation and peaceful life in the past. They say that they even organized their republic here called Libertalia, but written evidence of this has not been preserved.
Madagascar and the island of Ile Sainte-Marie near it turned out to be very well located: an old sea trade route passed by, along which ships constantly ply loaded with expensive fabrics, spices and similar products for sale. The ships tried to go along the coast of Africa in order to find protection in secluded coves in the event of a storm.
Naturally, such habits of seafarers-merchants did not go unnoticed by pirates. Filibusters from different countries settled on Ile-Sainte-Marie. Their leader was Adam Buldridge, who organized everything so conveniently that money flowed to the island. Adam himself earned so much that he was able to build his own palace here.
When the Caribbean became a dangerous place for pirates, they moved closer to Africa - to Ile Sainte-Marie. Many famous filibusters, for example, William Kidd and Olivier Levasseur, have noted here at one time.
The pirates on the island were not afraid of anything or anyone. They married women from the local tribe, built houses, raised children.
The idyll ended at the end of the 18th century, when the French military managed to end the lawlessness in the waters here.
In memory of the corsairs, there is a pirate cemetery on the island, where there is the grave of Captain Kidd, and several interesting dive sites, where the remains of pirate galleons are located.
