Fort Gross Fredericksburg

Fort Gross Fredericksburg, is a fortification located in Princestown, in the Western Region of Ghana. The Brandenburg Africa Company, led by Benjamin Raule, under the patronage of Frederick William of Brandenburg (for whom the fort was named), built Fort Gross Fredericksburg in 1683–1684 as their headquarters. The fort is the only fort in Ghana of German construction.

John Canoe, an Akan merchant, learned in 1708 that the Germans planned to sell the fort to the Dutch. In protest, he organized a resistance that lasted nearly 20 years and repelled battleship fleets. Eventually the Dutch seized the fort in 1725 and called it “Hollandia.” Residents saw John Canoe as a hero since he was successful in holding possession of the fort. The Dutch gave the fort to Britain in 1872, and it became part of Ghana’s newly independent country in 1957.

Fort Gross Fredericksburg was one of two German forts built in Ghana, the other being Fort Dorothea, and was made of stone imported by sea from Prussia between 1681 and 1683. It is believed that around 300,000 Africans have been transported through this fort. John Canoe’s whereabouts are unknown. Some claim he was captured after losing the fight of the fort, while others claim his remains are buried in Kumasi’s Tafo Cemetery.

Text adapted from “Fort Gross Fredericksburg” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Fort Gross Fredericksburg ranks #3,215 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #13 of the 34 mapped in Ghana. Founded 1683, it is older than 24% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 626 atlas entries founded in the 17th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,660 times in the last 60 days, more than 62% of the atlas. 5 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Sekondi-Takoradi, 43 km away. See how Ghana compares in the castle statistics.

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