Persians and Arabs, Chinese and Malays, South Indians, Portuguese and Dutch, English and even Romans appear to have visited Galle in the dim past. In 1344, Ibn Batuna found Moorish vessels in the harbour.
The Portuguese who arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505 took control over Galle as a centre of their administration. It was only after an attack from the Sinhalese – King Rajasinghe of Sitawaka – that the Portuguese constructed a defence at Galle.
This was constructed in 1589 to protect the Portuguese from the enemies of the land and no thought was given to an attack from the sea. The ramparts and the bastions were built with earth reinforced with trees. There were three bastions facing the land side, which were known as St.Jago (the sun bastion), Conceycao (moon bastion) and St.Antonio (star bastion).
The present Southern Province Police Headquarters occupies what was originally the Portuguese Fort (Black Fort). This was known as ‘Forteleza’. In front of the present Government Agent’s Office or the ‘Kachcheri’ was a church called Saint Pedro.
There was a Roman Catholic Church built by Franciscan priests in 1544, at the place where the present Islamic mosque is located. There was a moat in front of the Portuguese Fort. The fort was captured after five days of battle, by the Dutch on 13th of March 1640.
Galle became the seat of the Dutch Government until 1655 when Colombo was captured and the administrative centre was moved to Colombo. Unlike their Portuguese counterparts, the Dutch fortified themselves against the enemy from the land as well as the sea and to protect the harbour which was the most important trading harbour at that time. They replace the ramparts of earth with granite and lime stone. The Dutch also widened the moat and a small bridge was used to cross the moat. The St. Jago bastion of the Portuguese was named ‘Hoofdwacht’. St. Antonio Bastion was named ‘Zee Punt’. Conceycao became the middle part or the Moon Bastion. By 1669, the existing grid patterns, similar to the fortified cities of Europe, were laid within Galle Fort. During the Dutch period, the present international cricket ground of Galle was a marshy land which protected the Fort from the enemies of the land – the Sinhalese. There are 12 bastions around the Fort, three of them facing the land the rest facing the sea. The first church constructed by the Dutch within the Fort was at the north end of the warehouse and the bell tower of that church can still be seen. The bell tower was constructed in 1701.
During the Dutch period the present Kachchari or the district secretariat area housed the hospital. The Roman Catholic church, the Galle Museum building, the old post office building (the house of the chief Administrator of Galle) are some of the structures which have survived to date. The Museum building, which is considered the oldest surviving building, was constructed around 1656 as the house for a Commander or a similar high official. Unfortunately, a part of it was destroyed during the construction of the New Oriental hotel and it has become difficult to discern the original shape.
Galle Fort has been declared a world heritage site in Sri Lanka and attention of UNESCO and ICOMOS has been directed to its protection. Galle has retained its fame from ancient time to the modern day, as a place producing some of the most exquisite handicrafts such as lace, carvings and souvenirs made out of wood, ivory, ebony and tortoise shell.
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