Habitation Murat, Colonial sugar plantation ruins in Grand-Bourg, Guadeloupe.
Habitation Murat is a former sugar estate in Grand-Bourg, Marie-Galante, whose windmill was built in 1814 to grind cane. A curved wall of rough grey stone blocks arcs across the grass, and to its right stands a tapering cylindrical stone tower with an arched opening at ground level. The mill is listed as a monument historique.
Antoine Luce, a notary from Champagne, founded the sugar estate in 1657. Dominique Murat bought it in 1807 and developed it as "Bellevue La Plaine" after marrying a Marie-Galantaise creole. The windmill itself was built in 1814 to grind cane mechanically; it was listed as a monument historique in 1990 and classified on 23 August 1991.
The site is named after its owner Dominique Murat and shows how people made sugar for three centuries in this region. The museum preserves old tools and papers that document this way of working.
The site is easiest to reach by car since it sits outside town with limited walking access. Wear light clothing and sun protection, as the open grounds offer little shade.
The windmill was built in 1814 to grind sugar cane mechanically, and the estate it served was founded in 1657 by Antoine Luce, a notary from Champagne. Dominique Murat bought it in 1807 and developed it as Bellevue La Plaine after marrying a local Creole woman. The mill was listed in 1990 and classified on 23 August 1991.
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