List of castles in Ghana

During the colonial period in Ghana (at the time known as the Gold Coast) roughly corresponding to the 15th through 19th centuries, European-style coastal forts and castles were built, mostly by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. These forts linked the trading routes established by the Portuguese and acted as important market places for the gold and slave trades. Because of their testimony to precolonial and colonial Afro-European commerce (including the Atlantic slave trade) and their profound effect on the history of West Africa, a number of these fortifications and outposts were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979.

Kumasi Fort in the Ashanti Region was originally built by an Asante king in imitation of these colonial forts.Kumasi Fort and Military Museum
at

Coastal regions

World Heritage listed forts

Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions is the collective designation by UNESCO of European-style fortifications and outposts (mostly Portuguese, Dutch and British) along the Gold Coast (modern-day Ghana) during the colonial period. The term specifically applies to a number of such fortifications designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979, including:

* Three castles:
** Cape Coast at Cape Coast
** St. George's d’Elmina at Elmina
** Christiansborg at Osu, Accra
* Fifteen forts:
** Good Hope at Senya Beraku
** Patience at Apam
** Amsterdam at Abandze
** St. Jago at Elmina
** San Sebastian at Shama
** Metal Cross at Dixcove
** St. Anthony at Axim
** Orange at Sekondi
** at Prince's Town
** William (Lighthouse) at Cape Coast
** William at Anomabu
**Victoria at Cape Coast
** Ussher at Usshertown, Accra
** James at Jamestown, Accra
** Apollonia at Beyin
* Four forts partially in ruins:
** Amsterdam at Abandze (Note, this fort is listed both as ''fort'' and as ''fort partially in ruins'' by UNESCO)
** English Fort at British Komenda
** Batenstein at Butre;
** Prinzensten at Keta
* Ruins with visible structures:
** Nassau at Mouri
** Fredensborg at Old Ningo
** Vredenburg at Dutch Komenda
** Vernon at Prampram
** Dorothea at Akwidaa
* Two sites with traces of former fortifications:
** Frederiksborg at Amanful, Cape Coast
** Fort Augustaborg at Teshie

Other coastal forts

Other coastal forts included in Ghana's material cultural heritage list of the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board:Forts and Castles
at Ghana Museums and Monuments Board website
* Fort Fredericksburg at Amanful (distinguished from Fort Frederiksborg/Fort Royal near Cape Coast Castle)
* Fort McCarthy at Cape Coast
* The Little Fort at Anomabu
* Fort Tantumquery at Otuam

Not listed as heritage (mostly largely destroyed or otherwise lost):
* Fort Winneba at Winneba
* Fort Sekondi at Sekondi
* Fort Kongenstein at Ada
* Fort Elize Carthago near Axim
* Fort Ruychaver on the banks of the Ankobra River
* Fort Witsen near Sekondi

By region (from East to West):
*Volta Region:
** Fort Prinzenstein, Keta ()
*Greater Accra Region:
** Fort Fredensborg, Old Ningo ()
** Fort Vernon, Prampram ()
** Fort Augustaborg, Teshie ()
** Osu Castle (Christiansborg), Accra ()
** Ussher Fort, Accra ()
** Fort James, Accra ()
* Central Region:
** Fort Good Hope (Fort Goede Hoop), Senya Beraku ()
** Fort Lijdzaamheid ('Patience'), Apam ()
** Fort Amsterdam, Abandze ()
** Fort William, Anomabu ()
** Fort Nassau, Moree ()
** Cape Coast Castle, Cape Coast ()
** Fort William (Lighthouse), Cape Coast ()
** Fort Victoria, Cape Coast ()
** Elmina Castle, Elmina ()
** Fort Coenraadsburg, Elmina ()
** Fort Vredenburgh, Komenda ()
** English Fort, Komenda ()
* Western Region:
** Fort San Sebastian, Shama ()
** Fort Orange, Sekondi ()
** Fort Batenstein, Butri ()
** Fort Metal Cross, Dixcove ()
** , Prince's Town ()
** Fort Santo Antonio, Axim ()
** Fort Apollonia, Beyin ()

Other regions

* Kumasi Fort in the Ashanti Region.

References

External links

Ghana-Net: Forts and Castles of Ghana
(with pictures)

Ghana Place Names: Forts & Castles
(meanings and origins of names)

{{Gold Coast

Castles

Castles
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Castles
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