Citadelle Laferrière is a mountaintop fortress in Haiti.
Citadelle Laferrière . It is one of the largest fortresses in the Americas and was designated by the United Nations Educational , Scientific and Cultural Organization ( UNESCO ) as a World Heritage Site in 1982 -- along with the nearby Sans-Souci Palace . The Sans-Souci Palace is a palace in Haiti in the town of Milot , Nord Department , located approximately 5 km northeast of the Citadelle Laferrière , and 13 km southwest of the Three Bays Protected Area . Close to the Palace is the renowned mountaintop fortress ; the Citadelle Laferrière , built under decree by Henri Christophe to repel a feared French invasion that never occurred .