Elmina Castle, (10 km west of Cape Coast), . Built in 1482, Elmina Castle is the oldest European structure in Africa and incidentally the oldest slave fort. Elmina was a notorious slave fort used for moving slaves onto ships bound for other parts of the world. Although today it is a tourist attraction, but once was a prison used by the Ghanaian government. It is quite a sobering experience and can be emotional at times (particularly the "room of no return", the cell for rebellious slaves, the female slave dungeons, which still smell like bodily fluids). There is an admission fee as well as a minimal fee for taking pictures. Besides a guided tour with knowledgeable, friendly tour guides who are open to questions, there is an on site restaurant, bookstore, gift shop, and a small museum inside the renovated Portuguese church within the castle. �
Portuguese Church. Located in the courtyard of Elmina Slave Castle, the church has been converted into a small museum devoted to the history of the slave trade in West Africa. It is a nice place to spend some time before beginning your tour of the castle. �
Fort St. Jago (Fort Conraadsburg). The original building was made out of earth by the Dutch in order to launch attacks on the Portuguese-owned Elmina Castle, and in the 1660s, the Dutch replaced that structure with this fort. It was used strictly as a military fort for the purpose of protecting Elmina Castle after the Dutch successfully took it from Portugal. In the 19th century it became a prison and later a hospital. Along with Elmina Castle, Fort St. Jago is one of the 11 sites that make up the World Heritage Site "Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions". �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Elmina
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Elmina - updated May 2024
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Elmina Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
