Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions
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How it came to be
Along some 500 km of Ghana's coast, from Keta in the east to Beyin in the west, stand fortified trading posts built between 1482 and 1786. Traders from Portugal, Spain, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Britain built and held them at different times.
The first, Elmina Castle, was built in 1482 by Diogo de Azambuja on the orders of King John II of Portugal. The local chief, Kwamin Ansah, was wary of a permanent settlement but finally gave his reluctant consent. The castle is said to be one of the oldest European buildings outside Europe, and the Dutch West India Company seized it in 1637.
The forts began as bases for the gold trade, became centres of the Atlantic slave trade, and in the 19th century took part in suppressing it. Cape Coast Castle began in 1653 as a timber fort of the Swedish Africa Company. Three castles, fifteen forts and a number of ruins were inscribed together in 1979.
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