Cape Coast Castle - Ghana

Ghana's castles and forts offer concrete testimony to the drama and human history and stand as witness to one of the world's tragic events - the Slave Trade. Cape Coast Castle has seen the passage of numerous foreign powers. Initially constructed as a small trading lodge in the 16'th century, the building was subsequently altered and enlarged, becoming a substantial fort by 1637. It was later captured by the Swedes and named Fort Carolusberg, finally becoming a British possession in 1664. Cape Coast Castle, through which thousands of slaves were shipped to the Caribbean and the United States, became the seat of British colonial administration until 1877, when government offices moved to Christianborg Castle in Osu near Accra.