About Sri Lanka - Galle City

Galle is a city which is located in the southern coastal region of Sri Lanka 116km away from Colombo. The focal architecture of Galle is the Galle Fort which was built in the early sixteenth century during the colonial periods of Portuguese, Dutch and British. Presently it is an archaeological reserve and identified as a living World Heritage Site.

Portuguese took Galle from the Sinhalese kings in 1587 and built a single wall fronted by a moat which extended from the sea to the harbor. Dutch landed on Ceylon in 1640 who defeated the Portuguese after severe fighting. Dutch people later converted the Fort into eleven bastians for a formidable line of defense, which endure to this day. A monument of particular interest in the Fort is the Dutch Church dedicated in 1754. The old Dutch organ, hatchments on the walls and engraved tombstones on the floor may be a great interest to a visitor. Opposite the Dutch Church you can see the Dutch Commandeer's residence or the Queen's house on the British era which leads to the Galle gate.

Another of the antiquities of Galle is the old man gate to the Fort. The lion and unicorn of the British coat-of-arm is found over the outside arch and on the inside is a monogram of the Dutch East India Company, a shield with the initials V.O.C with lions supporting the crest dated back to 1669.

Galle was handed to British people in February 1796. Still you can see some British relics in the town. Until the artificial harbor was built in Colombo in 1870, Galle was the chief port of Sri Lanka. Among the British mansions, the best preserved is a bungalow built by an agent of the British Shipping company. A person who loves architecture in 16th-17th century should visit this living world heritage site.