- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1659 · 17th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Greater Accra, Ghana
- Heritage
- part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site (an old town or a valley, for example)
- Coordinates
- 5.5469°, -0.1835°
History
In the mid-17th century a Swedish trading lodge stood on this spot by the Gulf of Guinea; the Danes took it over and in the early 1660s built the stone fort of Christiansborg. In 1693 Akwamu warriors led by Asameni seized the fort by a ruse and sold it back to the Danes a year later. For almost two centuries gold and enslaved people passed through the castle. In 1850 Denmark sold its Gold Coast possessions to Britain, and the castle, rebuilt after the 1862 earthquake, became the colonial governor's residence. After independence in 1957 it housed Ghana's seat of government until the early 21st century.
What to see
The castle's whitewashed walls rise from the rocky shore in the Osu district, right above the ocean surf. Inside are the dungeons where captives were held before being shipped across the Atlantic, with colonial and state rooms above them. Having served for decades as the seat of government, its interiors are not always open to the public. The castle belongs to the UNESCO listing of the forts and castles of Ghana's coast.
Wikipedia article Wikidata Q1082964
Popularity: articles about this site in 27 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).