Fort Fredrick

Fort Fredrick is a fort built by Portuguese at Trincomalee, Sri Lanka in 1624. It was built from the debris of an ancient Hindu temple that was destroyed by the Portuguese. This was captured by a Dutch fleet under Admiral Westerwold in 1639. Not until 1665 was a new fort built here by the Dutch defend against the advancements of the British and the French. In 1672, the year when the Dutch Republic was attacked by France, Britain, and two German states, the French captured Trincomalee and later they occupied Batticaloa. However soon the French were forced to leave. Trincomalee was important for its large all-season secure harbor. In late 18th century Trincomalee traded hands once more with the French capturing it again and later handing back to the VOC at the Peace of Paris in 1784. In 1795 it was taken over by the British, an remained a British garrison till 1948. Coastal artillery guns were added during the two World Wars. Today it remains garrisoned by a detachment of the Sri Lanka Army accessible to visitors.

External links

* [http://wesrilanka.net/trinco_fort.html TRINCOMALEE FORT]