Elmina Castle

About this place

Elmina Castle is a white fort on a rocky headland between the sea and the Benya Lagoon, and the oldest European building still standing in sub-Saharan Africa. The Portuguese raised it as their first trading post on the Gulf of Guinea, and it later became one of the most important stops of the Atlantic slave trade. Today it is a museum and a place of remembrance, on the UNESCO list with Ghana's other forts. The Portuguese built the castle in 1482 and named it for Saint George, with gold as their first aim. In 1637 the Dutch West India Company seized it, after a failed attempt in 1596, and by 1642 the Dutch held the whole Portuguese coast. The slave trade continued under their rule. The castle passed to the British in the 19th century. The tour circles a wide courtyard overlooked by white buildings of several storeys, and passes the women's and men's dungeons and the narrow passage to the sea. A carved skull above one door marks the cell of the condemned, and some rooms hold wreaths left by visitors. From the roof you look over the town and the coloured fishing boats on the lagoon. Cape Coast Castle is about 12 km away in a straight line. Entry is by guided tour, so ask when the next one starts. The harbour nearby is busiest in the morning, and a second Dutch fort is visible on the hill across the lagoon. Keep quiet and respectful in the dungeons, as they are a place of remembrance.