Dutch Fort Kalpitiya

It is situated in Kalpitiya town facing the Dutch bay. Dutch Fort was designed in 1667 and was completed in 1676 by the Dutch. Later it was handed to Portuguese and then to the English who operated the fort as a trading point. Now a Navy base is located in the premises and the historic fort is secured by the Navy. The main purpose of this buildings at that time was to operate as a fort empowering and organizing the Dutch Army. But  the main purpose was hidden under the disguise of a church which is a tactic  of the Dutch.

The Entrance to the fort is through an arc made of imported bricks and the symbol of the fort is shown on  the top of the arc which is two elephants facing each other and a palm tree in between.

The walls are built using corals and the roofs are built in an angle where the outsiders see the fort with a different angle. It is to prevent the damage that can be caused by an possible canon attack from the enemy.

Two wells are  there inside the fort to provide water to the residents. The fort can be accessed by another hidden tunnel which runs to the sea which was for the purpose of an immediate escape. An underground cave like rooms are there to store and hide the weapons.

4 main watch houses are there in the 4 corners of the fort and it is said that the watchers were the slaves.

 The sea facing the fort is full of hidden rock and sand which is themain advantage of the place that the enemy boats cannot reach near the fort without a good knowledge of the sea area.

we were guided by a navy personal and a very interesting description was given by him about the Fort. 

Traveling Tips

* Permission must be granted from the Navy in order to enter the fort premises.