Osu Castle

Coordinates: 5°32′49″N 0°10′57″W / 5.54694°N 0.18250°W / 5.54694; -0.18250
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

For Ozu Castle in Japan, see Ōzu Castle. For the palace in Denmark sometimes known as Christiansborg Castle, see Christiansborg Palace.
Osu Castle
Part of Danish Gold Coast
Osu Castle
Osu Castle is located in Ghana
Osu Castle
Osu Castle
Site history
Built1661; 363 years ago (1661)
Garrison information
OccupantsDenmark-Norway (1660)
Part ofForts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions
CriteriaCultural: (vi)
Inscription1979 (3rd Session)
A view of the Osu Castle from the lighthouse in Jamestown, Accra

Osu Castle (also known as Fort Christiansborg or the Castle) is a castle located in Osu, Ghana, on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa.

A substantial

Denmark-Norway in the 1660s; thereafter, the fort changed ownership between Denmark-Norway, Portugal, the Akwamu, Britain, and finally post-Independence Ghana. Under Denmark–Norway control it was the capital of the Danish Gold Coast
, and held and dispatched enslaved people overseas.

In 1902, Osu Castle became the

Golden Jubilee House.[1]

Because of its testimony to European colonial influence in West Africa and the

World Heritage List in 1979 along with several other castles and forts in Ghana.[2]

History

A contemporary drawing of the Dano-Norwegian fort, Fort Christiansborg, now Osu Castle. The outpost to the right is Fort Prøvestenen.

The area was first occupied in 1550 by the

slaves.[1]

Entrance to Fort Christiansborg after it was opened to the public in 2017.

Osu Castle was located close to two other forts.

Fort James by the British. The settlement at Osu was too small to store sufficient goods to compete with the others. Consequently, Denmark-Norway purchased adjoining land and expanded the building, naming it Fort Christiansborg after the reigning Danish King Christian V.[1] This is not to be confused with the slightly later royal palace in Copenhagen. Denmark-Norway would occupy the fort for most of the next 200 years, with some interruptions, and for much of that time it served as the capital of the Gold Coast of Denmark-Norway.[4]

In 1679 or 1680, the fort's

Catholic missionary Francis Xavier. The Portuguese built a chapel and raised the bastions by three feet. The fort was abandoned on 29 August 1682 after the garrison mutinied and it became clear that Portuguese traders could not compete with the other Gold Coast powers. Danish forces returned in February 1683 after purchasing the fort back from the Portuguese. In 1685, Fort Christiansborg became the capital of the Gold Coast of Denmark-Norway, taking over from Fort Frederiksborg.[5]

The

marks of gold (400 troy ounces, worth £200,000 to £250,000 in 2008) but retained the keys, which are still in the ethnic group's possession to this day.[1][5] The early 18th century was not kind to the fort, and in 1722 the English reported it to be in disrepair. Extensions were made later that century, however, and structural improvements were made in 1824. The additional store rooms, garrison quarters, platforms, bastions and houses resulted in the castle being four times the size of the original fort.[1][6] In the 1770s, the Danes at Osu became involved in a conflict with Dutch-controlled Accra.[7]

In 1850, the British bought all of Denmark's

Governor-General. When Ghana became a republic in 1960, it became the residence of Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah.[10]

In 2005, there was debate over whether Osu Castle should be replaced as the seat of government. President John Kufuor argued that his government should not sit at the castle due to its previous association with slavery and also because its facilities were inadequate. National Democratic Congress MPs, however, argued that the $50 m that a new presidential palace would cost would be better spent elsewhere.[11]

Features

A 1948 stamp of The Gold Coast (modern Ghana) showing the castle under its former name.

Osu Castle is no longer the seat of government. The seat of government is now the

The Flagstaff House. Many international dignitaries have visited the castle while in the region, including U.S. Presidents Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. Additional rooms were built in order to accommodate Queen Elizabeth II's visit in 1961, one year after Ghana became a republic.[1]

The present castle is made up of various extensions to the original and is thus in an unorthodox shape. It has many facilities for the use of employees, including a clinic, café, shopping centre and a post office. It also still accommodates a permanent garrison. The extensive gardens feature a wide variety of plants, both local and imported, and employ 30 people. They are used for the president's outdoor receptions and parties.[1] The Castle is closed to walk-in visitors.[12]

Controversies

In 2007, the opposition

John Agyekum Kufuor's New Patriotic Party voted unanimously in favour of taking the loan from India
. They argued that the president should not be based in Osu Castle, where slaves used to be kept.

The opposition

Flagstaff House
used by Ghana's first president as his residence is being renovated into a museum, with the grounds on which it stands being built up as an ultra-modern office complex and residence for the president and vice-president of Ghana as well as their staff.

Gallery

  • Osu Castle, also known as Fort Christiansborg, is a castle located in Accra.
  • Osu Castle, also known as Fort Christiansborg, is a castle located in Accra.
  • Osu Castle, also known as Fort Christiansborg, is a castle located in Accra.
  • Christianborg Castle, Ghana
  • Christianborg Castle, Ghana
    Christianborg Castle, Ghana
  • Christianborg Castle, Ghana
    Christianborg Castle, Ghana
  • Osu Castle in Ghana
    Osu Castle in Ghana

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h ghanacastle.gov.gh Archived 3 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions". UNESCO World Heritage Convention. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
  3. ^ van Dantzig and Priddy, pp. 18–21.
  4. ^ worldstatesmen.org "Ghana" World Statesmen.org.]
  5. ^ a b van Dantzig and Priddy, p. 22.
  6. ^ van Dantzig and Priddy, p. 24.
  7. ^ van Dantzig and Priddy, p. 39.
  8. ^ van Dantzig and Priddy, p. 49.
  9. ^ "Ghana Museums & Monuments Board". www.ghanamuseums.org. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  10. ^ "shoutghana.com". Retrieved 7 February 2007.
  11. ^ "Ghana in presidential palace row", BBC News, 15 December 2005.
  12. ^ "Ghana Museums & Monuments Board". www.ghanamuseums.org. Retrieved 19 October 2019.

Sources

  • Albert van Dantzig; Barbara Priddy, A Short History of the Forts and Castles of Ghana (Accra: Liberty Press, 1971).

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Christiansborg.

5°32′49″N 0°10′57″W / 5.54694°N 0.18250°W / 5.54694; -0.18250

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Osu_Castle&oldid=1211528745"