Tangalle fort

Tangalle Fort
Part of Hambantota District
Tangalle, Sri Lanka
Tangalle Fort
Coordinates 6°1′21″N 80°47′53″E / 6.02250°N 80.79806°E / 6.02250; 80.79806
Type Defence fort
Height 12 m (39 ft)
Site information
Controlled by Government of Sri Lanka
Open to
the public		 no
Condition good
Site history
Built by Dutch
Materials limestone and coral

Tangalle Fort (Sinhalese: තංගල්ල බලකොටුව) is a small Dutch fort located in the coastal town of Tangalle, Sri Lanka. The Dutch used Tangalle as an important anchorage on the southern coast of the island.

Tangalle fort differs from most other forts constructed by the Dutch, in that the fort has no massive ramparts. The four main walls, which are 12 m (39 ft) high, enclose a space similar to a rhombus, in height, in opposite corners of the structure. The fort was significantly altered by the British in the middle of the 19th century when it was converted into a prison. The British also used Tangalle as an anchorage. The fort is still being used as a prison by the Department of Prisons.[1][2]

References

  1. ↑ Fernando, Kishanie S. (9 June 2013). "Colonial Forts – relics of old time warfare". Ceylon Today. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  2. ↑ Pieris, Kamalika (24 May 2012). "Dutch Forts in Sri Lanka". The Daily News. Retrieved 17 November 2014.

See also

Further reading


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, January 17, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.