Cape Coast Castle History
The Swedish Africa Company built the original timber Cape Coast Castle in 1653 on the site of a Portuguese trading lodge of 1555.
Its original name, given by the Swedish, was Carolusborg.
The British, who conquered it in 1664, rebuilt it on a much larger scale, in stone. The fortified castle served as a timber and gold trading center until the 19th century when it became the starting point of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
Its dungeons housed huge numbers of African slaves destined for transportation to North America. After falling into decay, the castle was restored in 1920 by the British.
A comprehensive historical and ethnographical museum was established in the castle after Ghana’s independence in 1974. In the 1990s, many international organizations helped restore the castle.
It is currently administered by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board. The museum exhibits maps of slave trading, objects that were exchanged between the natives and the Europeans, gold weights, and prints of slave ships.
Visitor Information
The castle, along with other slave castles from Ghana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
The entrance fee for an adult costs $7 and for students, it is $4. The museum is open from 9:00 to 16:30 every day.
A guided tour of the Cape Coast castle is included in this price and that includes visits to the famous dungeons where the slaves were kept.
Cape Coast Castle Location
Address: The Cape Coast Castle is located on Victoria Road in Cape Coast, the capital of central Ghana. Get help with directions using the map provided below: