Galle and Galle Fort Walls
Probably the most pleasant stroll you can observe in town is the circuit of the Fort walls at dusk. As the daytime heat fades away, you’ll be able to walk almost the complete circuit of the Fort all along the the surface of the wall in an easy hour or two. You’ll be in the company of lots of locals, shyly courting couples and a great number of kids diving directly into protected waters.
The Main Gate in the northern stretch of the wall is a moderately recent improvement – it was built by the British in 1873 to handle the heavier fl ow of traffic into the old town. This part of the wall, the most powerfully strengthened since it faced the land, was originally built with a moat by the Portuguese, and was then substantially enlarged by the Dutch who split the wall in 1667 into separate Star, Moon and Sun Bastions.
Following the Fort wall clockwise you soon come to the Old Gate. The British coat of arms tops the doorway on the outer side. Just beyond the gate is the Zwart Bastion (Black Bastion),considered as Portuguese built and the oldest of the Fort bastions. The eastern portion of the wall ends at the Point Utrecht Bastion, close to the powder magazine. The bastion is topped by an 18m high lighthouse, which was built in 1938.
Flag Rock, in the end of the next stretch of wall, was once a Portuguese bastion. During the Dutch period approaching ships were signalled from the bastion, warning them of unsafe rocks – hence its name. Musket shots were fired from Pigeon Island, close to the rock, to further alert ships to the danger. On the Triton Bastion there was once a windmill that drew up sea water, which was sprayed from carts to keep the dust down on the town streets. This part of the wall is a superb place to be at sunset. There’s a set of other bastions, as well as the tomb of a Muslim saint outside the wall, right before you arrive back at the starting point.
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