The Danish West India Company was chartered in 1671. The trading company proceeded to purchase and colonize Saint Thomas (1668), Saint John (1718) and then Saint Croix (1733). Soon after securing this island from France, Governor Frederik Moth began planning a new city. He initially called it Bassin. The settlement was renamed after Christian VI, the king of Denmark and Norway from 1730 until 1746. Christiansted became the capital of the Danish West Indies from 1754 until 1871. You are now viewing where these historic events occurred. The ochre-colored building in the lower left is Fort Christiansvaern. This Danish defense is the oldest structure on Saint Croix.
