Kolonia

Kolonia is the main town on Pohnpei, a single long street with side roads running off it, and it carries the traces of four administrations in a small area: the Spanish wall of Fort Alfonso XIII, German bell tower and cemetery, Japanese-era foundations and agricultural station remains, and the American period that followed. The national capital is at Palikir a few kilometres away rather than here. The town's population is only a few thousand, which makes it small even by Pacific standards despite being the largest settlement in the state.

History

The area was called Mesenieng, "face of the wind", while Pohnpei's traditional centre of power lay at Madolenihmw. Spain built the town in 1887 as Santiago de la Ascensión, and the Spanish Wall is what remains of its fort; under German rule from 1899 roads, wharves, a church bell tower and a cemetery were added, and Kolonia was the capital of the Federated States of Micronesia until 1989 (Wikipedia, Kolonia).

The main sights

• The Spanish wall - the surviving section of Fort Alfonso XIII.
• The German bell tower - the remains of the Catholic mission church.
• The layered periods - Spanish, German, Japanese and American traces together.
• The main street - the single road the town is built along.

When to go

December to March is the drier season. Rain falls in every month on Pohnpei, often heavily. Shops close early and on Sundays almost everything shuts.

What to expect

The town is workaday with little arranged for visitors. Rain is constant and heavy. Sunday closes almost everything on the island.

Nearby

Sokehs Rock is west, and Nan Madol is southeast.

Key facts