Black Fort, Galle

Black Fort, also called Zwart Fort, is the Portuguese ‘s oldest built bastion, and can be reached after walking along the Galle fort wall. This is one of the fort’s 14 bastions. It is called Black Fort, since this location was still shrouded in thick coils of smoke from cannons and guns in the ancient days.

The Galle fort or the Dutch fort that crowns Galle’s coastal area is almost 500 years old and stood firmly in the face of many calamities. It survived the earthquake of December 2004 and owes all of its glamor and fineness to the archaeological teams. The fort is now shrouded in greenery and surrounded on two sides by blue waters.

The Portuguese built this fort in 1588 to protect the town of Galle and also the place where Sinhalese prisoners were being held. The fort was under Portuguese, Sinhalese and Dutch and later under British rule in the 18th century.

The fort has similarities to a civilisation, with Dutch-style streets and houses. The fort houses the Meera Mosque, Church, a Clock Tower dating back to 1882, the lighthouse and warehouse in Galle which is now a National Maritime Museum. It is a Heritage recognised by UNESCO and preserved by the Sri Lankan Government.