Situated on the South-Western tip of Sri Lanka, is the city of Galle, the fourth largest city on the island and the administrative capital of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka. Upon first glance, a visitor can easily witness the status of Galle as a heritage site, for its notable structures that are reminiscent of Portuguese architecture. Galle was an extremely fortified Dutch port during the seventeenth century, and Galle Fort, a is a world heritage site because it is the largest remaining fortress in Asia that was built by European invaders. There are various other noteworthy landmarks that occupy Galle, but one that stands a measure above the rest is the National Maritime Museum. Located in the heart of Galle amidst locales such as the iconic Tamarind Hill Galle, a strikingly unique Heritage Hotel Sri Lanka has to offer.
The National Maritime Museum in Galle is the only entity in Sri Lanka that seeks to create public awareness in regards to the marine-biological and anthropological nature of the Southern Coastal area. It was opened to the public in 1992, in the old Dutch Warehouse building that was built sometime in the seventeenth century. Initially the museum only concerned the flora and fauna under the sea, showcasing scaled down models of whales and fish along with certain underwater artifacts that were discovered. Eventually the museum grew to showcase a whole variety of artifacts, even certain ship-wrecks, and featured Maritime Archaeology Unit built by UNESCO. Unfortunately, the unit, along with more than eighty percent of the artifacts contained within the museum was destroyed by the tsunami of 2004.
2010 saw the re-opening of the museum, which was renamed the National Maritime Archaeology Museum, due to a grant of almost two million by the Kingdom of Netherlands. The Dutch Warehouse was completely restored as a result of the grant and the current museum, although missing a few artifacts, exists stronger than ever.
Chandrishan Williams is a travel writer who writes under the pen name, Caleb Falcon. He specializes in writing content based on the many exciting world adventures that await intrepid travelers. Google+