Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese, Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the British. It is the best example of a fortified city built by Europeans in South and South-East Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and South Asian traditions.

Brief synthesis Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications is situated on a small rocky promontory on the southwest coast of Sri Lanka. Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese as a fortified town, Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century under Dutch colonial rule. It is the best representation of a fortified city built by the Europeans in South Asia, showing the interaction between European planning principles and South Asian architectural traditions. Its street grid represents the typical Dutch tradition of parcelling out blocks with the purpose of creating clusters of buildings within a limited area. Rows of houses with their narrow sides facing the streets and verandas shaded by high overhanging roofs supported on slender columns create distinctive streetscapes. These characteristics, along with internal courtyards, are among the adopted South Asian elements that create the settlement’s unique character. The Old Town also consists of public and administrative buildings that reflect colonial architectural characteristics, but are composed in a manner that is sensitive to the rest of the architectural fabric. The monumental ramparts that fortify the town do not conform precisely to typical European geometric plans. Instead, they follow the existing morphology of the site, where rock outcrops are located within the promontory of Galle. Bastions located at strategic points both seaward and landward together with the ramparts reflect the fortification engineering knowledge developed by the Dutch in the unfamiliar South Asian terrain. Criterion (iv): Galle provides an outstanding example of an urban ensemble which illustrates the interaction of European architecture and South Asian traditions from the 16th to the 19th centuries during the period of European expansion in Asia. The most salient feature is the use of European models adapted by local craftspeople to the geological, climatic, historical, and cultural conditions of Sri Lanka. In…