Dutch fortresses on the West African coast

Day 2,183, 16:46 • Published in Netherlands Netherlands • by M. de Ruyter


Just for the heck of it, I collected pics of the Dutch presence in todays Guinea and Ghana. I hope you can appreciate it.

View of the castle of Elmina on the north-west side, seen from the river. Located on the gold coast in Guinea. This was the main castle of the Dutch settlements

Map of Elmina showing the forts of St. George and Coenraadsburg, the hill St. Jago and the village of Eddona

fort Amsterdam, Ghana Dutch posession from 1631-1811

the fortress today

fort Batenstein, Ghana build by the Dutch in 1598 just East of Cape Three Points


Cape Coast castle, or Carolusburg build in 1650 10 km East of Accra Ghana


Christiaansborg Accra, build be the Swedes in 1652, bought by the Dutch in 1658, and conquered by the Danes in 1661, they burned it down and build a new fortress on a more strategic place, then conquered by the Dutch, the British and the Danes again, who, after a short Portuguese period sold it to the British. Since 1960 it’s the residence of the president of Ghana.


Coenraadsburg, or Conradsburg or St. Jago build in 1637 on the hill next to El Mina where the main fortress was located to protect that one. It stayed Dutch until it was sold to the British in 1871

the fortress today and closer

the fortress of Crevecoeur build in 1649 near Usshertown in todays Accra. Dutch until 1867, then sold to the British, today it’s the prison of Accra.

fort de Goede Hoop, Good Hope fortress build in 1667 by the Dutch, captured by the British in 1782, recaptured by the Dutch in 1785, and finally British in 1868 by a Dutch-British treaty.

Fort Metal Cross build by the British in 1683, captured by the Germans (Brandenburg) 1712, then captured by the Dutch who kept it till 1872, then it became British again by a Dutch-British treaty.


and the fortress today

Fort Nassau build in 1595 by the Dutch to trade in gold with the locals, captured and destroyed by the Portuguese in 1610, rebuild 1623-24 and in 1633-34 by the Dutch, who had in 1654 there a garrison commander with 32 men, a doctor, coppersmith and 156 slaves. The British captured the fortress in 1664, but the Dutch took it back a year later. Because of illnesses the Dutch had to leave the fortress in 1800 and the British took it again.



Fort Oranje (on the left) build in 1640, captured and destroyed by a local tribe the Ahantas, rebuild and later in 1872 sold to the British. Today it is still in use, as a lighthouse.

Fort Santo Antonio de Axim, build in August 1503 by the Potuguese to trade in gold, ivory and slaves, captured by the Dutch in 1642, who kept it till 1872.
Here a part of the fortress today

Fort San Sebastian, or fort Chama, build by Portuguese in 1526, conquered by the Dutch who placed a garrison in 1645 with a commander, 4 soldiers and 15 slaves. Ofcourse the British captured and destroyed it in 1664, and then left. The Dutch rebuild it a year later and kept it till 1872, when it became British by the treaty of Sumatra.
and today

Fort Singhelenburgh, also called fort Keta build in 1734 by the Dutch, was there for only a very short time. The hostile locals attacked the Dutch in 1737, and the Dutch, unable to resist them, blew up the fortress. In 1784 the Danes build a new fortress closeby, called Prindsensteen, which they kept till 1840, then sold it to the British. Today it is also in use as a prison.


Fort Vreedenburgh, build in 1688-89 by the Dutch 15 km West of Elmina, on the shore of the Komenda river, where a British fortress stood on the oposite shore. It was build in stone and had bastions, 32 cannons and 80 men. The fortress played an important role during the so called Komena wars, were locals roused up by the English tried several times to capture the fortress. This conflict was part of the wars between the UK and the republic of the Seven United Netherlands that raged troughout the 17th and 18th century in the whole world.

Around 1871 the fortress was handed over to the British in turn for their colony on Sumatra. After that the British declared war on the Ashanti, and colonised whole Ghana. Today there’s nothing left but a ruine whitch is a part of the village Komenda where on the village square is now a monument erected to commenmorate the Dutch.



This fortress is, with all the other fortresses in Ghana on the world heritage list.

By the Dutch-British treaty of 5 March 1867 Ghana became British, while Upper-Guinea became Dutch. But that’s a whole other story.