Galle light house

The Galle Lighthouse is located in the middle of an ancient fort and is surrounded by historic buildings. Its beauty is enhanced by the surrounding fort known as “The Galle Fort.”
In 1988, the Galle Fort was declared by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The lighthouse is located in the Galle Fort, and therefore, is part of the World Heritage Site.
Visiting the Galle Lighthouse is a treat;its majestic location makes an excellent and enjoyable day trip.
Visitors spend hours, days and sometimes even months, admiring the ancient port town of Galle, the Indian Ocean and the Fort. In order to gain a true appreciation for the Galle Lighthouse, detailed references must be made to the historic city and the Fort surrounding it.

The charming city of Galle

The beautiful paradise isle of Sri Lanka is a small universe on its own, with its diverse cultures, sceneries and climates. This vibrant island is full of lovely beaches with its golden sands, breathtaking tea plantations in the hill country situated in the central district of the island where the natural waterfalls dot the landscape captivating and enthralling every traveler. 

The historic sites full of ancient ruins bear testament to a glorious past. With its charming people and gorgeous landscape this island is truly a Jewel in the Indian Ocean.

Hundred and twenty kilometers from the country's Capital Colombo and down the coastal belt will take you to the ancient port city which is Galle. The Portuguese who were blown off course landed in Galle in the early 16th century, from which pronounced the colonial era of this resplendent island. 

The charming Galle Fort which is one of the main attractions in this city will take one back to the colonial era. The Galle Fort occupies a land area of about 36 hectares and is a more commercial area where the residents oblivious to its architectural splendor and heritage go about their daily business. Courts, Export Companies, administrative offices, museums, a clock tower, a lighthouse and a number of shops and residences make up the Galle Fort. In 1988 this was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The Galle Fort was also used as main business hub where traders from Arabia, India and China used to exchange spices in the past.

 

Sri Lanka,Rampart,Tourist
 

Tourists visiting the Galle Fort ramparts and bastions from where they also enjoy a nice view on the ocean.About Galle Fort:

Today Sri Lankan government and many Dutch people who still own some of the properties inside the fort are looking at making this one of the modern wonders of the world Museums.

There is a museum inside the Dutch fort which is in a Dutch Colonial building in Church Street is the Cultural Museum adjoining the Amangalla Hotel. The artifacts reflect the art and culture of the Southern Province.

The National Maritime Museum is also situated inside the Galle fort.It is situated in a renovated Dutch building.The Dutch fort also known as Ramparts of Galle withstood the Boxing Day tsunami which destroyed the Galle town. There are many Moor families who live inside this fort along with Sinhalese, Dutch, English, Portuguese and Germans. 

More details regarding the history of the fort can be found at the visitors centre and at the Dutch period museum inside the Fort. Today, the citizens of Dutch fort in Galle are trying to make this a free port and a free trade zone. If successful no taxes are levied on the companies and individuals who reside inside the city. About Galle: Galle

Beauty of Galle

Calm galle fort at mid-day

landscafe inside  fort

A local fishermen at work

Brief hestory of fort building

During the Age of Discovery, in the 100 years from the mid 15th to the mid 17th, (that is, about 500 years ago) many seafaring nations of Europe engaged in intensive exploration of the world, both to the east and to the west, in their own sailing ships. Their explorations were to map the planet, establish direct contacts with Africa, the Americas, Asia and the islands scattered throughout most of the Pacific Ocean and establish overseas empires for the next three hundred odd years.

The Portuguese, the Spaniards, the Dutch, the British and the French founded overseas empires losing and wining a considerable number of battles for land, sea routes, commerce and religion.  In their newly established empires, they maintained themselves by building Forts, most of which have now disappeared to date, though. A remarkable specimen of one such piece of ancient architecture built by the Europeans still dwells among the untrodden ways, beside the Indian Ocean, by many a traveller, a fort whom there are none to praise and very few to love.

Brief histroy of building

Dutch museum

Galle Dutch Museum

Housed in a Dutch Colonial building within the Fort of Galle in Church Street adjoining the New Oriental Hotel, the Dutch Museum contains paintings, prints, documents, furniture, ceramics and various artifacts from the Dutch colonial era reflecting the art and culture of the Southern Province.

Galle

  Location: Distance from Colombo: 116 km

 

Galle  (pronounced as one syllable in English "Gaul") is a town situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle was known as Gimhathiththa (although Ibn Batuta in the 14th century refers to it as Qali) before the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century, when it was the main port on the island. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, during the Dutch colonial period. The major river is Gin River (Gin Ganga) which starts from Gongala Kanda and passing villages such as Neluwa, Nagoda, Baddegama, Thelikada, Wakwella and kisses the sea at Ginthota. In Wakwella over the river there is Wakwella Bridge which is the longest bridge in Sri Lanka.

OUR NATIONAL HERITAGE