PHILIPSBURGH

Philipsburg is the capital of St. Maarten, located in the south of the island of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. At the 2011 census, the town had 1,327 inhabitants.

After the Netherlands took control of the island in 1631, Fort Amsterdam was built on a peninsula between Great Bay and Little Bay, west of what became the city of Philipsburg. The town was founded in 1791 by Scotsman John Philips, who was in Dutch service. The city is named after him, and was laid out on a narrow headland between Great Salt Pond and Great Bay. In 1793, Philips had a house built on Front Street which later became court premises and a symbol for the whole of Sint Maarten. The courthouse is depicted in Sint Maarten’s coat of arms, which can also be found in the country’s flag.

The harbor with quay facilities for tourist ships and cargo ships is located in Pointe Blanche southeast of the city. Philipsburg is served by Princess Juliana International Airport. It has become world famous for its close-up photographs of planes taking off and landing on the island. Therefore, Princess Juliana International Airport, west of Philipsburg, has become a tourist destination in itself.

We have visited Philipsburg several times in connection with cruises in the Caribbean. In this connection, we have only done city walks and it is a short distance between the harbor and the city centre. Hovedgata has a rich selection of brand shops and diamond dealers, so there are good opportunities to make a «bargain». A visit to the Hard Rock Cafe there with lunch and Apple Cobler for dessert was also an opportunity. It was a great place to come to and we would love to go back there again.

Norsk:

Philipsburg is the capital of St. Maarten, located in the south of the island of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean. At the 2011 census, the town had 1,327 inhabitants.

After the Netherlands took control of the island in 1631, Fort Amsterdam was built on a peninsula between Great Bay and Little Bay, west of what became the city of Philipsburg. The town was founded in 1791 by Scotsman John Philips, who was in Dutch service. The city is named after him, and was laid out on a narrow headland between Great Salt Pond and Great Bay. In 1793, Philips had a house built on Front Street which later became court premises and a symbol for the whole of Sint Maarten. The courthouse is depicted in Sint Maarten’s coat of arms, which can also be found in the country’s flag.

The harbor with quay facilities for tourist ships and cargo ships is located in Pointe Blanche southeast of the city. Philipsburg is served by Princess Juliana International Airport. It has become world famous for its close-up photographs of planes taking off and landing on the island. Therefore, Princess Juliana International Airport, west of Philipsburg, has become a tourist destination in itself. (Wikipedia; Google translated).

We have visited Philipsburg several times in connection with cruises in the Caribbean. In this connection, we have only done city walks and it is a short distance between the harbor and the city centre. Hovedgata has a rich selection of brand shops and diamond dealers, so there are good opportunities to make a «bargain». A visit to the Hard Rock Cafe there with lunch and Apple Cobler for dessert was also an opportunity. It was a great place to come to and we would love to go back there again.

Norsk:

Philipsburg er hovedstaden i St. Maarten, som ligger sør på øya Sint Maarten i Karibia. Ved folketellingen i 2011 hadde byen 1 327 innbyggere.

Etter at Nederland tok kontroll over øya i 1631, ble Fort Amsterdam anlagt på ei halvøy mellom Great Bay og Little Bay, vest for det som ble til byen Philipsburg. Byen ble grunnlagt i 1791 av skotten John Philips, som var i nederlandsk tjeneste. Byen er oppkalt etter ham, og ble anlagt på en smal landtunge mellom Great Salt Pond og Great Bay. I 1793 fikk Philips bygget et hus på Front Street som senere ble rettslokaler og et symbol for hele Sint Maarten. Tinghuset er avbildet i Sint Maartens våpenskjold, som også er å finne i landets flagg.

Havnen med kaianlegg for turistskip og frakteskip ligger i Pointe Blanche sørøst for byen. Philipsburg betjenes av Prinsesse Juliana internasjonale lufthavn. Den er blitt verdensberømt for sine nære fotografier av fly som tar av og lander på øya. Derfor har Princess Juliana International Airport, vest for Philipsburg, blitt et turistmål i seg selv.

Vi har besøkt Philipsburg flere ganger i forbindelse med cruise i Karibien. Vi har i den forbindelse bare foretatt byvandring og det er kort vei mellom havnen og bykjernen. Hovedgata har et rikt utvalg av merkevarebutikker og diamanthandlere, så det gode muligheter for å gjøre et «kupp». Et besøk på Hard Rock Cafe’n der med lunch og Apple Cobler til dessert ble det også anledning til. Det var et flott sted å komme til og vi reiser gjerne tilbake dit igjen.