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.[1] These forts linked the trading routes established by the Portuguese and acted as important market places for the gold and slave trades.[1]
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.[1]
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:[1]