But not far from the few houses next to the landing stage formerly the housing of the warders of this part of the penal colony I presume , some steps led up deep into the forest. This is the way to the solitary confinement cell tracts. Nominally a sign tried to restrict access to this part, but the bad English translation would have given me an excuse I could have said that I did caution the slippery rocks and did not intend to build falling rocks ;-. At the top of the steps we entered the complex from the rear.
There was first a large former hall, now roofless and overgrown by strange hanging roots like net curtains. Through the back and an anteroom with barred windows was a small clearing — where you could watch leaf-cutter ants forming a busy highway of moving bits of green! Beyond it were rows upon rows of small cells along narrow corridors. And that in often dramatic fashion! There were creepers creeping in, trees growing out of cells , and some even bursting through the cell doors as if wrestling their way out into freedom.
Some tree roots formed clusters along cell walls that I found reminiscent of the famously and fantastically overgrown temples of Ta Prohm in Cambodia! There were few other tourists there and much of the time we had the place totally to ourselves. The urbexer in us took over and we excitedly spent over an hour exploring and taking atmospheric photos — a few examples are below in the gallery.
Most of it is peaceful, shady and quiet. And then we suddenly came to a wide open field of graves. This was the main cemetery of the colony. No convicts were ever buried here, though. This cemetery was only for warders. If convicts died, they were simply chucked into the ocean — to the delight of the sharks. Eventually we got back to the landing stage and were ferried back to the main island.
Full of deep impressions we then had a nice dinner at the auberge and an early night. Weather patterns are clearly changing here too cf. Guyana and Suriname. Fortunately the rain had drifted away by the time our boat back to Kourou was due.
Like Jonestown it was a bit like a pilgrimage, except that these islands came with pleasant add-ons like decent accommodation and nice food and drink. All that made the time and expense involved in getting there fully worth it! Highly recommended. Location: some 8 miles 13 km offshore from the mainland coast of French Guiana , and 10 miles 16 km from Kourou.
Museum: [ 5. Old cell blocks: [ 5. La reclusion solitary confinement cell blocks : [ 5. Pier in Kourou for island transfers: [ 5. Details: To get to the islands you have to use one of the boat services from Kourou ; there are several. On weekends these may fill up, so advance reservations are a good idea. Several operators can help with this. I used the Georgetown-based company Wilderness Explorers see under Guyana for this, and like everything else they organized it worked perfectly.
My French Guianaise guide gave us a short walking tour of both the main island Royale and St-Joseph, but we had the second day on Royale on our own. Of course you can also get there independently, especially if you speak sufficient French. The boat crossings cost in the region of 50 euros, with slight variations between different boats. Off the coast of French Guiana is a small island with just acres in its entirety.
This island was used as a penal colony for the French from to It was Emperor Napoleon III who originally started this penal colony, and it was used to house the most despised and feared criminals such as thieves, murderers, and political enemies. Prison facilities were located on the French Guiana mainland as well, but the inmates who were thought to be most dangerous were all housed on the island. After being placed into their divisions, the prisoners would be forced to endure severe amounts of strenuous labor.
They would toil in the unbearably hot tropic sun on projects such as constructing a railroad or clearing areas of tall trees. Those who refused or were unable to meet their work quotas were savagely beaten and denied food and water. His multiple, unsuccessful attempts to escape extended his stay until The book's popularity, unfortunately, caught the attention of the US Immigration department that deported him as an illegal immigrant.
This time he headed west where he became a technical advisor at Warner Brothers. While the French stopped sending prisoners to Devil's Island in , it would take another 15 years before they would completely close down the complex.
A few year's after its closure, it became part of the Guiana Space Center, monitoring the research and telecommunications rockets launched from the mainland town of Kourou. In the last few years, Devil's Island has also become an unexpected tourist destination. Lovely palm trees and ocean views," wrote one recent visitor on TripAdvisor. While the facts of Devil's Island are horrible enough, nothing could match the fearful fantasies conjured up in the public imagination by the mere whisper of its name.
It has been the subject of many films, as well as a talking point in countless others. While often used to signify sadistic horror, Hollywood has also found its romantic side. The silent film Devil's Island uses the famous prison as the setting for a tragic love story. An early talkie, the film Condemned , stars Ronald Colman in Devil's Island as "a rough, tough convict who'd kill for a kiss," or so the poster promises.
To mark the prison's closing, Warner Brothers put out William Clemens' B-movie Devil's Island with Boris Karloff as a sympathetic doctor who, convicted for political reasons, must now face sadistic guards and dangerous inmates. Before the film was even released, the French government, fearing the terrible publicity, persuaded Warner Brothers to cut it down severely.
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