About this place

GALLE FORT

Galle Fort or the Dutch Fort is a Portuguese fortress which was built in 1588 at the bay of Galle on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka. This fortress is completed with 14 bastions which is still the best-preserved and best example for the fortified city in Asia built by Europeans by showing the mix of European architectural styles and South Asian traditions. UNESCO declared Galle Dutch Fort as a World Heritage in 1988 under the name of Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications. It covers an area of 52 hectares inside the walls. A lighthouse installed on the Utrecht bastion, and a tower erected for the jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1883. A Protestant church also built in Baroque Style in 1775. The most prominent buildings in the fort complex were the Commandant's residence, the arsenal and the gun house.