Portuguese Black Fort
In 1588, King Rajasinghe I of Sitawaka attacked the Portuguese capital of Colombo, which resulted in their retreat to Galle, a prosperous port from ancient times. There, they constructed a small fort using palm trees, coral stones, and mud, which they called Santa Cruz. Later, in 1625, they expanded it with a watchtower, three bastions, and a Fortaleza to safeguard the harbour. After the Dutch gained control of Galle from the Portuguese in 1640, they enlarged the fort to its current size in 1643 and renamed Santa Cruz the "Black Fort" or "Zwart Fort" (Zwart Bastian). The reason for the Bastian being called the Black Fort is disputed, with some believing it was due to the continuous thick smoke from cannons and guns in the Bastian, while others think it is because it was used as a holding cell for African slaves brought to the island by the Dutch. The Black Fort suffered some damage in 2000-2001, with a section collapsing and several ancient prison cells falling on top of it. Additional...
