Galle

Galle, the capital of the southern province is a city with a colourful history, UNESCO declared World Heritage Site the magnificent Dutch fort is the most popular attraction of the town. 300 year old Dutch atmosphere is still very much alive around the fort and amidst its many historical buildings not invaded by the skyscrapers. The beautiful beach of Unawatuna is just 6km south east of the city centre.

The southern coastal belt is the most popular among the tourists and comes to life mainly from October through April when the monsoon moves northeast and the sea becomes calm with blue skies. The earliest European administrative centre of Sri Lanka was the major port and the largest city until the British shifted the port to Colombo. The City of Galle had been the European administrative centre over 4 centuries.

Now fast acquiring a reputation as the starting point of Sri Lanka’s equivalent to the “Riviera”, the city’s origins are shrouded in legend and mystery. Some believe that it is the Tarshish of the Old Testament, which channelled a thriving trade in exotic luxuries including precious metals and stones, ivory, tropical beasts and of course spices. This whitewashed town has an extremely large fort, built by the Dutch over 400 years ago, as its oldest landmark. A number of important churches are located within the fort, including the Groote Kerk, the oldest Protestant church in Sri Lanka.

A living, breathing city of important historical significance, Galle greets visitors as the gateway to the south. The small promontory that Galle sits upon was a natural haven, and provided safe anchor for Arab merchant vessels plying the ancient sea-lanes connecting the Orient with the Occident. However, it was a Portuguese fleet that “discovered” it by chance in 1505 and observed Arab merchants loading cinnamon and elephants onto their ships. This first landfall by a European maritime power on the island, hastened Galle’s colonial eminence as a shipping and passenger port. Indeed, the event was pivotal in the nation’s history, as it changed the fate of the whole country and an ancient civilization, forever.

Portuguese built the first fort to withstand attack from the Sri Lankan kingdoms to the north. Dutch who captured the coastal cities from the Portuguese improved the defence system of the fort, widening the moat on the landside, improving the ramparts and the bastions. British who captured the city did not make many changes as they shifted the part to the northern town of Colombo and therefore the atmosphere of Dutch days are preserved to date. The Dutch entrance to the fort with it VOC with 1669 carved in the inner archway is still in use. Still there are many old Dutch buildings intact and, but unfortunately except for those in the private hands. The ramparts and the bastions still bring to life the old world.

This delightful city offers to the appreciative eye many fine Dutch period buildings including villas, mansions and bungalows all crammed together, their famous tiled roofs jostling each other for space. There are also a few interesting museums and old hotels to visit, while the Groote Kerk or great church, built on a Portuguese convent dating from 1640, is the probably the oldest Protestant church in Sri Lanka. The charming old streets provide lovely, serene walks in contrast to the bustle of the new town just outside.