Wikipedia
For the French_Artists French artist, see Émile Gallé.'' Galle (pronounced as one syllable, rhyming with "Gaul") is a town situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 116kilometerkm from Colombo. Galle was known as Gimhathiththa before the arrival of the PortugalPortuguese in the 16th century, when it was the main port on the island. Galle reached the height of its development in the 18th century, before the arrival of the BritainBritish, who developed the harbor at Colombo.On December 26, 2004 the city was devastated by a massive tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake that occurred a thousand miles away, off the coast of Indonesia. Thousands were killed in the city alone.Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by EuropeEuropeans in south and southeast Asia, showing the interaction between European architectural styles and south Asian traditions. The Galle Fort is a world heritage site and the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European invaders. Other prominent landmarklandmarks in Galle include the St. Mary's Cathedral founded by Jesuit priestpriests.Galle is the main town in the most southerly part of the island and is connected by rail to Colombo and Matara. It is home to a cricket ground, the Galle International Stadium, where Test crickettest matches are played.Rumassala Kanda is a large mound-like hill, which forms the eastern protective barrier to the Galle harbour. Local tradition associates this hill with some events of the Ramayana.
History - According to legend Galle is the ancient seaport "Tarshish", from which king Solomon drew the ivory and other valuables. It's been a prominent seaport even before the western rule of the country. Persians, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Malays and Indians were doing business through Galle port. The 'modern' history of Galle starts in 1505, when the first Portuguese ship was drawn by a storm. Lourenzo de Almeida landed at Galle but the people of Galle refused to let the Portuguese enter the city, so the Portuguese took it by force.In 1640, the Portuguese had to surrender to the Dutch. Dutch built the present Fort in the year 1663. They built a fortified wall, using solid granite, and built three bastions, sun, moon and star.After the British took over the country from the Dutch, in the year 1796, they kept the Fort in the same way, and had it as the administration center of Galle.
See also -
External links - thecolombo.com - Galletourslanka.com - www.tourslanka.comcpamedia.com - CPAmedia Historic GalleCategory:Cities and towns in Sri LankaCategory:World Heritage Sites in Sri Lankade:Galle (Stadt)nl:Galleno:Galle (by)ru:Галле (город в !Шри-Ланке)sv:Galle
|
|
Websites
sri lanka holidays
sri lanka holidays hotel reservations tour operator
http://www.srilankaholidays.net/
Kanne & Kruike
Kanne & Kruike is specialised in European Art Nouveau and Art Deco objects (glass, ceramics, bronze, etc).
http://www.kanne-kruike.com
Auctions house fine art
The auction house--live or online--for paintings, sculpture, other fine art, antiques, books, jewelry, toys, dolls, collectible memorabilia, and more. Authenticity and condition guaranteed.
http://www.hellmann-fine-art.de/
Eau Galle Cheese Factory
Wisconsin cheeses and cheese spreads, and gift packs.
http://www.eaugallecheese.com/
World Heritage
Elegant site from UNESCO explaining the choice of certain buildings and sites as World Heritage. List with pictures and information available on each. French and English language options.
http://whc.unesco.org/
Galle Photos - Sri Lanka
A collection of photos of places in Galle city.
http://galle.kohomban.net
|
|