| Fort Amsterdam | |
|---|---|
| Part of Dutch Gold Coast | |
 Fort Amsterdam | |
  Fort Amsterdam | |
| Coordinates | 5°11′32″N 1°05′35″W / 5.192222°N 1.093056°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1638 |
| Garrison information | |
| Occupants | English (1631-1665) Netherlands (1665-1868) |
| Location | Abandze, Central Region, Ghana |
| Part of | Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions |
| Criteria | Cultural: (vi) |
| Reference | 34-004 |
| Inscription | 1979 (3rd Session) |
Fort Amsterdam is a former slave fort in Abandze, Central region, Ghana. It was built by the English between 1638 and 1645 as Fort Cormantin or Fort Courmantyne, and was captured by admiral Michiel de Ruyter of the Dutch West India Company in 1665,[1] in retaliation for the capture of several Dutch forts by the English Admiral Holmes in 1664.[2] It was subsequently made part of the Dutch Gold Coast, and remained part of it until the fort was traded with the British in 1868. The Fort is located at Abandze, on the north-east of Cape Coast in the Mfantseman District of the Central Region of Ghana. Because of its testimony to European economic and colonial influence in West Africa and its historical importance in the Atlantic slave trade, the fort was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 along with other forts and castles in Ghana.[3]
- ^ "Ghana Museums & Monuments Board". www.ghanamuseums.org.
- ^ Anquandah, James. (1999). Castles & forts of Ghana. Atalante: Ghana Museums & Monuments Board. ISBN 2951390106. OCLC 41624572.
- ^ "Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Retrieved 9 October 2022.