In 1650, Charles Houël, governor, lord, and owner of Guadeloupe, had a donjon built. This is the square tower, measuring 11 meters on each side and standing 3 stories high, which can still be visited today. He then reinforced it by constructing octagonal corner walls to secure the area, a symbol of his power over the population.
This site, which overlooks the town of Basse-Terre, went by several names over the centuries before officially becoming Fort Delgrès in 1989, in honor of Louis Delgrès, the hero of the fight against slavery.