Facts about Elmina enable one to have a first hand knowledge about the town of Elmina. In the past, the town served as an important link between Europe and Ghana. Before visiting the city, one must essentially know certain Facts about Elmina.
Elmina is located approximately 15 kilometers west of the Cape Coast, in the central part of Ghana. As a small fishing village with a fort and a castle, it offers great relaxation facilities especially in the beginning of July, when the Bakatue festival is held.
Just like the other forts and castles at the coastline of Ghana, Fort St. Jago and Elmina Castle, the 2 most important attractions in the town having their origin in the colonial past of the country. The fort was built by the Portuguese. It was built to protect the village they conquered from Dutch and English invaders. The Dutch failed to conquer Elmina through the sea. However, with the co-operation of local inhabitants, they found a way over land to invade the fort from the back and succeeded. The Fort was renamed as Fort Coenraedsburg and the castle was partly rebuilt at that time.
Facts about Elmina state that the Elmina Castle was built for two specific purposes. It provided extra protection and also served as a transit point and store house for slaves. In those days the castle was in itself a small trading town. The castle grounds comprised living quarters, a chapel, an officer's mess, an auction hall and storage rooms all located around an extensive courtyard. A certain number of soldiers and merchants would live in the castle permanently. Along with them the castle housed 1,000 imprisoned slaves kept in the slave dungeons. The slaves awaited the arrival of the next ship.
A guided tour through the castle is always an enlightening experience. Those who can spare enough time must other forts along the coast. The St. George's Castle and the Fort Coenraadsburg, the main cultural heritage attractions in the area are enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage list. These historical buildings have played major roles in the interaction of Elmina and Ghana with European countries. St. Joseph's Catholic Church, St. Anne's Convent, the Methodist Chapel and Asafo Posts are other historic tourist attractions in the town.Numerous historic merchant houses are also worth visiting.
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