Ghana · 17th century
Fort Amsterdam is a former slave fort in Abandze, Central region, Ghana. It was built by the English between 1638 and 1645 as Fort Cormantin or Fort Courmantyne, and was captured by admiral Michiel de Ruyter of the Dutch West India Company in 1665, in retaliation for the capture of several Dutch forts by the English Admiral Holmes in 1664. It was subsequently made part of the Dutch Gold Coast, and remained part of it until the fort was traded with the British in 1868. The Fort is located at Abandze, on the north-east of Cape Coast in the Mfantseman District of the Central Region of Ghana. Because of its testimony to European economic and colonial influence in West Africa and its historical importance in the Atlantic slave trade, the fort was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 along with other forts and castles in Ghana.
Text adapted from “Fort Amsterdam, Ghana” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Fort Amsterdam (Ghana) ranks #1,833 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #4 of the 35 mapped in Ghana. Founded 1638, it is older than 28% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 721 atlas entries founded in the 17th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 2,261 times in the last 60 days, more than 72% of the atlas. 4 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Cape Coast, 20 km away. See how Ghana compares in the castle statistics.
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