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Historic Galle, Sri Lanka
Old Dutch Hospital (16th–19th centuries)
Seized
by the Portuguese from the Sinhala kings in 1587, the historic city of
Galle was the most important port in Sri Lanka for centuries. After the
Portuguese, Galle was occupied by the Dutch in the seventeenth century,
who erected a fort there in 1663, and by the British in the eighteenth
century. The Dutch fort now contains private houses, temples, churches,
and civic buildings, whose architecture combines European and Southeast
Asian styles.
Today, Galle is Sri Lanka’s fourth largest town. The city suffered substantial loss of life and property damage in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. While parts of the historic center of Galle were protected by the bastions of the Dutch fort, an enormous number of historic private homes and public buildings were damaged. One such building that has emerged as a priority is the Old Dutch Hospital in Galle.
Though it most recently served as the District’s Secretary’s office, the proposal would restore the structure and adapt it for reuse as a center for Sri Lankan art and culture.
