The high point of a visit to Galle is to walk on the ramparts of the Dutch fort at sunset to enjoy the untrammelled views of ocean and the surrounding townscape.
Nothing else in the city of Galle is able to provide this special experience of walking on ancient walls and looking out to sea much the same way as any man or woman did at the time the ramparts were constructed.
The path on top of the ramparts provides access to all the key areas of the fort and facilitates interesting glimpses of gabled 18th century houses with colonnaded verandahs, warehouses and administrative buildings.
Seized from the Portuguese in 1646, the Dutch proceeded to construct a hexagonal fort that remains almost entirely intact to this day.
They decided to change the precarious defences made by the Portuguese and construct a more solid structure capable of withstanding attacks from the other European powers operating in the area.
This meant encircling a whole peninsula with walls laid out at angles to each other forming a system of bastions in a hexagonal layout so that any attacking forces will face a vertical field of fire deterring them from gathering at the bottom of the walls.
The angled ramparts were also intended to deflect any direct hits from cannon balls.
Thick walls of granite and coral with fourteen bastions were the result and they protected the 52 hectare city inside for 150 years.
A majority of the external walls were constructed in 1663.
The sloping sea walls were completed in 1729.
The British took over the fort in 1796 and along the way made some modifications to the buildings but not to the walls.
During the Second World War the defensive functions of the fort were restored with the installation of machine gun emplacements on the bastions.
This living monument is considered the most complete and one of the finest examples of a fortified city built by Europeans in the East.
The walls of the Galle Fort even withstood the onslaught of the 2004 tsunami that ravaged the city.
With spacious contemporary suites opening onto colonnaded corridors offering gorgeous garden or sea views, Era Beach by Jetwing a charming hotel in Galle facing Unawatuna, one of Sri Lanka's iconic beaches, is an architectural gem inspired by the many Dutch buildings in its neighbourhood.
The relaxed ambience, beautiful natural surroundings and great facilities and amenities offered by this one of the most distinctive Sri Lanka hotels enables guests to have a truly remarkable holiday experience.
Nothing else in the city of Galle is able to provide this special experience of walking on ancient walls and looking out to sea much the same way as any man or woman did at the time the ramparts were constructed.
The path on top of the ramparts provides access to all the key areas of the fort and facilitates interesting glimpses of gabled 18th century houses with colonnaded verandahs, warehouses and administrative buildings.
Seized from the Portuguese in 1646, the Dutch proceeded to construct a hexagonal fort that remains almost entirely intact to this day.
They decided to change the precarious defences made by the Portuguese and construct a more solid structure capable of withstanding attacks from the other European powers operating in the area.
This meant encircling a whole peninsula with walls laid out at angles to each other forming a system of bastions in a hexagonal layout so that any attacking forces will face a vertical field of fire deterring them from gathering at the bottom of the walls.
The angled ramparts were also intended to deflect any direct hits from cannon balls.
Thick walls of granite and coral with fourteen bastions were the result and they protected the 52 hectare city inside for 150 years.
A majority of the external walls were constructed in 1663.
The sloping sea walls were completed in 1729.
The British took over the fort in 1796 and along the way made some modifications to the buildings but not to the walls.
During the Second World War the defensive functions of the fort were restored with the installation of machine gun emplacements on the bastions.
This living monument is considered the most complete and one of the finest examples of a fortified city built by Europeans in the East.
The walls of the Galle Fort even withstood the onslaught of the 2004 tsunami that ravaged the city.
With spacious contemporary suites opening onto colonnaded corridors offering gorgeous garden or sea views, Era Beach by Jetwing a charming hotel in Galle facing Unawatuna, one of Sri Lanka's iconic beaches, is an architectural gem inspired by the many Dutch buildings in its neighbourhood.
The relaxed ambience, beautiful natural surroundings and great facilities and amenities offered by this one of the most distinctive Sri Lanka hotels enables guests to have a truly remarkable holiday experience.