The Hardy distillery is located in Tartane in front of the Anse de la Brêche and near the Presqu'île de la Caravelle.
History
Trinité is a town in Martinique's North Atlantic region. It lies north of Le Robert, east of Gros Morne and south of Sainte-Marie. It is also the administrative center of the Nord-Atlantique arrondissement and a sub-prefecture of Martinique.
Trinité is the commune of the "arm of Martinique", the Caravelle peninsula.
After the arrival of French settlers in Martinique in 1635 and numerous battles between neo and former inhabitants, an agreement was reached between the two parties. The island was divided in two. The French got the Caribbean part, while the Caribs were pushed towards the Atlantic part and the south of the island. The Caribs settled in what is now Trinidad for a few years, before the French took over the whole island.
In 1658, they founded the commune of Capesterre, which now comprises 6 municipalities: Le Lorrain, Marigot, Sainte-Marie, Le Robert, Le Gros-Morne and Trinité.
The town was detached from this complex, and a wooden chapel was erected in place of the old Fort Sainte-Catherine, with Father Boulogne appointed to officiate in the new chapel.
There are two different versions of the town's name, Trinité. According to some, the town's name is linked to the devotion of the town's first priest, Père Boulogne, to the Holy Trinity, which earned the town its name, while for others, the reason is more administrative. When it was founded, the town had three districts:
- Petit Brésil, where Brazilian Jews were welcomed by Governor Jacques Dyel du Parquet for their knowledge of rum-making methods,
- La Citerne, where the cistern that supplied the inhabitants with water took pride of place,
- Rue Paille, with its thatched-roof dwellings.
While on the Caribbean coast the island was protected by several forts at Saint-Pierre and Fort-de-France, the Atlantic coast, where the Caribs lived, had no protection at all, as attacks by other European powers to take over the island raged. It was in Trinité that two forts were built, one to the north, Fort Sainte-Catherine, and the other to the south, Fort de la batterie de la Caravelle.
Subsequently, a road network was set up to link Trinité to the island's major cities. In 1678, Governor Charles de Courbon de Blénac gave the go-ahead for the creation of a road between Trinité and Fort-de-France, as well as between the various districts of Trinité.
Many plantations and distilleries were built here, as well as cocoa, cotton and, of course, sugarcane plantations. Numerous merchants, traders and buyers took up residence here, as did some very wealthy individuals, such as the Dubuc family. The natural bay of Trinité became a popular port for foreign and domestic trading vessels, particularly those from Nantes, which could dock in complete safety. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Trinité was a prosperous city and a strategic port on the Atlantic coast. Thanks to a railway line created to promote trade, goods, particularly rum and sugar, were transported to the port.
In 1713, Trinité had 1,392 inhabitants and 4 sugar mills, and Tartane (district of current Trinité) 1,152 inhabitants and 8 sugar mills. For several decades, the powerful Dubuc family reigned supreme over the Tartane and Trinité region, where they owned two settlements, Le Galion and Grands Fonds. The Dubuc family's fame gradually spread throughout the island, to such an extent that Count Dubuc was chosen as a deputy to the Colonial Assembly, leading a group of Martinican colonists to defend their rights in Paris. In 1819, the Dubuc family lost most of their property, including their two plantations.
The town benefited considerably from the sugar and rum economy until the end of the Second World War, when demand for the two leading sugarcane products plummeted. The commune's distilleries and sugar mills closed their doors, with the exception of the Hardy distillery and the Usine du Galion, which withstood the current crisis. The port was closed, and all goods entering and leaving the island were centralized in the port of Fort-de-France, the island's new economic and commercial capital following the eruption of Mount Pelée.
Subsequently, Trinité, which had already been a central location during colonization, became the political, economic and commercial center of Martinique's North Atlantic region.
Economy
Trinité is one of Martinique's three sub-prefectures. It is also the administrative center of the Nord-Atlantique canton.
It also has two high schools, a Caisse Générale de la Sécurité Sociale branch, a Pôle Emploi branch and a branch of the Martinique Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Trinité is the most attractive city in the North Atlantic region. In addition to the ZAC du Bac, the town center and its outskirts are home to a large number of shops. The Galion factory, the only sugar refinery to survive the closure of all the island's sugar mills, continues to produce sugar and rum for local consumption only.
Trinité's beaches (Anse des Raisiniers, Anse de Tartane, Anse Bonneville, Anse de la Brêche, Anse Cosmy and Anse l'Étang), hiking trails (Presqu'île de la Caravelle), distilleries (Usine du Galion and Distillery Hardy) and Château Dubuc, recognized as one of Martinique's historic monuments, are undeniable assets that make it one of the island's tourist hubs.
Agriculture is not forgotten in Trinité, with numerous cane fields feeding the Galion factory to produce sugar and rum, as well as the Habitation Saint-James site in Sainte-Marie.
Fishing is also an important activity, and for many locals it is their main occupation. Fish caught offshore are sold either to the town's restaurants or to the local population, who can buy their supplies at the fish market in Tartane.
Neighborhoods
The municipality's main districts are Anse Belgrade, Anse Bellune, Anse l'Étang, Anse Spourtourne, Autre Bord, Bagatelle, Bassignac, Beauséjour, Bellevue, Bois Neuf, Bonneville, Brevette, Brin d'Amour, Cosmy, Croix Guy, Degras, Descossières, Desforts, Desmarinières, Dijon, Dufferret, Épinette, Ferret, Fond Bazile, Fond Galion, Gergault, la Breche, la Camille, la Colline, la Crique, la Flotille, la Moïse, les Dominants, les Hauts, Malgré Tout, Maximin, Merveilleuse, Morne Doudou, Morne Figue, Morne Poirier, Petit Galion, Petite Rivière Salée, Plaisable, Raisinier, Ressource, Tracée, Tracée Bonnin and Val Beauséjour.
