The city of Galle is the administrative capital of Southern Province; it is also the capital of the Galle District. It served as one of the country’s main port cities for several centuries and still does today. Given its many attributes, Galle received much attention from Portuguese and Dutch colonists who played a key role in shaping the city’s heritage. The Galle Fort remains the most iconic landmark on the south coast and is a reminder of colonial times. Today, the fort has been converted into a quaint little maze of old cobbled streets, little cafes and exotic boutiques. Visitors to the country are immediately drawn to the old world charm and throwback to a bygone era that can only be experienced at a Galle Hotel. Sri Lanka, in recent times; has also attracted foreign artists, writers, photographers, designers and poets who have made a home for themselves in Galle.
Galle is located only a hundred kilometers from the country’s capital, Colombo. Take a train and you will be treated to sweeping views of the ocean all the way to your destination. The recently completed Southern Expressway is a second option if you have access to a car. Several of the buildings in and around the fort are also steeped in history, Tamarind Hill Galle, for example, is a manor house that was built over two hundred and fifty years ago by a wealthy Sri Lankan aristocrat and it subsequently became the official residence of a British Admiral of the well-known ‘P&O Line’.
The Fort, was first built by Portuguese colonists and then fortified by the Dutch colonists who followed. The thirty six hectare fort is an impressive creation. The Galle lighthouse stands seven meters above the road and is an extension of the fort itself. It is the oldest lighthouse in the country and it marks the southernmost tip of the island. Galle Fort made an appearance in Ptolamy’s world map drawn around 125-150 A.D. and in the present day, has been named a UNESCO world heritage site.
