Elmina Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Elmina Castle (also St. George El Mina Castle; in Portuguese Mina, Feitoria da Mina, São Jorge da Mina, or Castelo de São Jorge da Mina) was a military factory built in 1482 by the Portuguese as the first trading post in the Gulf of Guinea, at present-day Elmina, Ghana. It is said to be remarkable as the first (military) precast building to have been planned and executed ever, in or outside Europe. It took part of the military and economic importance that the previous Portuguese factory of Arguim Island, on the southern border of the African Arab world, held before the Mina settlement.
All of the construction (in heavy numerated granite stone blocks) was planned by military Portuguese architects, and done under military supervision prior to its transportation by command of King João II of Portugal. The castle was sent to Africa onboard a naval expedition led by Diogo de Azambuja, who departed from Lisbon on December 12, 1481, with eleven ships and 700 soldiers. Diogo de Azambuja remained as captain of the fortress (controlling the area around it) until 1484. It is interesting to know that Cristopher Columbus was allowed to go on this expedition to erect Mina under the orders of Azambuja. He lived then in Porto Santo and was learnig naval and military skills. Even though the Atlantic trade and maritime scientific skills were then closed to all non-Portuguese men under pain of death, historians think Columbus was allowed to go as a long-term established Portuguese subject, married to a Portuguese lady and father to Portuguese children.
The main interest of the Portuguese was to gain control over the gold trade of Mina, as mina is the Portuguese word for mine - and the fortress-factory attracted the end of African hinterland native gold commerce to the Portuguese Crown monopoly, giving to that African region the name of Gold Coast it held until the independence of Ghana.
Atlantic slave trade: afterwards the fort gained importance as a depot where slaves were bought by Portuguese from local African chiefs and kings who captured them, in exchange of textiles and horses, and held captive before being transported and resold in newly colonized Brazil and other Portuguese colonies.
In 1637 the fort was taken over by the Dutch, who made it the capital (also called Fort Conraadsburg, Fort de Veer, Fort Java, Fort Scomarus, and Fort Naglas) of Dutch Guinea. In 1872 it was taken by the British. The Dutch continued the triangular Atlantic slave trade there until the British released them from it.
The fortress is reported to be the oldest existent European building south of the Sahara. The present-day castle is a mixture of Portuguese and Dutch styles. The castle is recognized by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Monument. Other Slave Castles include Cape Coast Castle and Castle Saint Jago.
[edit] Renovation
The castle was extensively restored by the Ghanaian Government in the 1990s. Renovation of the castle continues as part of the "Elmina Strategy 2015" project. The bridge leading into the castle is one of the highest priority tasks in the project. As of August 2006, the bridge renovation has been completed and construction on the upper terraces continues.
[edit] Sources and references
(incomplete)
- WorldStatesmen- Ghana
- Strategy 2015 Project
- Bruner, Edward M. "Tourism in Ghana: The representation of slavery and the return of the Black Diaspora." American Anthropologist 98 (2): 290-304. Article describes debate over castle's presentation to tourists.
- Forts of Ghana
