Colombo fort
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Fort (Colombo) කොටුව (කොළඹ) கோட்டை (கொழும்பு) |
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 Fort (Colombo)
Fort (Colombo)
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| Coordinates: 6°55′33″N 79°50′30″E / 6.92583°N 79.84167°ECoordinates: 6°55′33″N 79°50′30″E / 6.92583°N 79.84167°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Western Province |
| District | Colombo District |
| Time zone | Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30) |
| Postal Code | 00100 |
Fort is the central business district of Colombo in Sri Lanka. It is the financial district of Colombo and the location of the (CSE) and the World Trade Centre of Colombo from which the CSE operates. It is also the location of the Bank of Ceylon headquarters. Along the foreshore of the Fort area is the Galle Face Green Promenade, built in 1859 under the governance of Sir Henry George Ward, the Governor of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during British colonial administration. Fort is also home to the General Post Office, hotels, government departments and offices.
Known as Kolonthota, the area became notable as the site of the first landings of the Portuguese in the early 16th century and became one of their trading posts in the island. The Portuguese developed their trading post into a fortified base and harbour to extend their control of the interior of the island. The fort constructed by the Portuguese was conquered by the Dutch in 1656 and was used to protect their prosperous trading of resources. With Colombo gaining prominence as the center for Dutch administration in the island it was expanded to protect against both the sea and the interior of the island. The Dutch demolished part of the Portuguese-built fortification and reconstructed it to take advantage of the natural strength of the location between a lake and the sea. Due to the conflicts between the Dutch and the Sinhalese kings of the interior, the fort was a major military base as it came under siege on several occasions.
Following the British acquiring control of the Dutch-controlled areas on the coast of the island, the fort became the center of its administration, in 1815 with Kandyan Convention Colombo became the capital of the entire island. In the year 1870, the walls of the fort were demolished as there was no longer a direct military threat and were considered an obstruction to the urban development in the area. Dutch buildings were also demolished and were replaced giving the area a sense of British colonialism.
Although the ramparts were taken down the area remained to be called the fort. Many buildings in the fort area were home to the British administration of the island and as more legislative power was given to the Ceylonese, it became the site of the Legislative Council and the State Council. As well as the heart of the administrative capital, the fort area became the heart of the commercial capital too. Following independence much of the center of government was centered in this area. However, with the expansion of the government administration, in 1980s the government began to move government ministries and departments to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte. This began with the shifting of Parliament from the old State Council Building to a new complex in Sri Jayawardenapura. The full shift of government was never completed, as many important government institutions still remain there.
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Wikipedia