Cape Coast is one of the most historical cities in Ghana. The capital of the Central Region. It was the center of British Administration and capital of the Gold Coast by 1700 until 1877 when the capital was moved to Accra. Most of the oldest and best schools in Ghana are in Cape Coast. The Cape Coast castle is one of the biggest of the trade and slave castles on the coastline of Ghana. It has one of the country's best-organized museums today. It is a historical museum.
Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle The strategic location of Cape Coast having a sheltered beach in proximity to Elmina Castle made it a great attraction to the European nations. Hence, for nearly a century, there was a ding-dong competition among the Portuguese, Dutch, Danes, Swedes and English to gain control of Cape Coast. The Portuguese built the first trade lodge in 1555 and called the local settlement "Cabo Corso", meaning short cape, later corrupted to Cape Coast. The Swedes, led by Krusenstjerna, built a permanent fort in 1653 and called it Carolus burg after King Charles X of Sweden. During the next 11 years, the Danes, the local Fetu chief and the Dutch each in turn captured and held Carolusburg for a time. Finally, the English fleet led by Captain Holmes took Carolusburg. The fort remained in English hands till the late 19th century serving as the West African headquarters seat of the president of the Committee of Merchants and later as the seat of the British governor.
