Description of the attraction
Soufriere is an active volcano of a conical layered type, located in the French possessions, on the island of Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. This highest mountain peak in the Lesser Antilles group reaches 1,467 meters. At the foot of Soufriere lies the city of Bas-Ter, from which tours to the top of the volcano along the slopes covered with dense tropical vegetation go.
Large seismic activity of the Soufriere volcano was last recorded in 1976. In order to avoid casualties, all the inhabitants of the island were evacuated en masse. The press widely covered a fierce discussion between researchers Garun Taziev and Claude Allegre about whether to take out the population. Allegre argued that residents should be evacuated just in case, while Taziev believed that Soufriere was not in danger. The island's prefect decided in favor of the evacuation for reasons of caution. The volcanic eruption occurred, but not complete and did not lead to significant damage.
While the island was empty after the evacuation, German film director Werner Herzog went to the abandoned town of Bas-Ter, where he found a peasant who refused to leave his home on the slope of a volcano. This journey was filmed and formed the basis of the film "La Soufriere".
