Kolonia, Pohnpei
Monday, October 8, 2012
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Old Spanish Wall
During the
period of time when the Spanish occupied Pohnpei (1886-1899) the first
of a series of Pohnpeian rebellions occured in 1887 and the Spanish
quickly built a wall around their fort for protection. The Germans later
dismantled portions of it, but hastily rebuilt it then when the
Pohnpeians rebelled against their regime in 1910. The wall today only
serves as a dividing line between a public park and a baseball field,
and runs a bit further into the main part of Kolonia town.
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The Catholic Bell Tower
The Germans
built a Catholic church on lands acquired by the Spanish in 1909. The
Japanese appropriated it for military use during World War II, and then
partially dismantled it for building material. Interestingly enough, the
bell tower of the church was one of the only three large structures on
the island missed by bombs during the war.
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Protestant Church
Protestant
missionaries arrived in Pohnpei from Hawaii in 1852, mostly as a
reaction to the loose morals of the whalers hanging around Pohnpei at
that time. They established missions in Madolenihmw and Kitti and then
in the 1930's built this church building, now referred to as the "mother
church" for all Protestant (U.C.C.P.) churches on the island. This
church building also survived World War II unscathed by bombing.
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Japanese Tanks
In a few places
on the island, Japanese tanks can be found rusting away in the tropical
climate. The tanks are a model called, "Type 95 Light" and were
manufactured from 1936-1943. These tanks originally were able to hold a
crew of three and were each armed with a cannon and two machine guns.
The one in this photo was removed from Pohnpei, restored in Japan and
returned to the island in 1981.
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