Fort Prinzenstein: A Look at the Slave Dungeon in the Volta Region of Ghana Built in 1784

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The Volta Region is one of the iconic regions in Ghana. It boasts of top tourist sites such as Mount Afadjato (the largest mountain in Ghana), the Volta Lake (the largest manmade lake in West Africa), Adomi Bridge, Wli Falls, Tagbo Falls, Tafi Atomi, and Wild Life Sanctuary. Fort Prinzenstein is one of them.

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The Only Fort in the Volta Region

Fort Prinzenstein is the only fort built by the colonial rulers in Keta, east of the Volta River. The fort was built in 1784 by the Danish traders to protect them against the Anlo Ewe as well as other colonial rulers who were evading the Volta coast. It later became a major slave dungeon used by the Danish traders to keep slaves before they were transported to the Caribbean.

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The state of the fort when it was built

 

Apart from the slave trade, the Danish traders also used Fort Prizenstein for the import and export of goods such as cowry shells, textiles, iron rods, gold, ivory, and brandy. Later in 1850, the Danish traders sold the fort to the British colonial rulers.

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The Fort Prezenstein

The fort was further used by the British as a dungeon for slaves. After Keta became a British colony, the fort was used as a prison to keep people who flaunt the orders of the British governors. In 1980, part of the fort was destroyed by the strong waves of the sea.

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The fort after it has been ruined by the waves of the sea

Finally, when Ghana gained independence, Fort Prinzenstein was released for the country. Later one, Ghana Museum and Monuments Board working with ICOMOS and the Danish Embassy helped to preserve remains of the fort in 1991 so that it will serve as a tourist destination for the Volta Region.

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The current state of the Fort

As Ghana has become a tourism hub in Africa, Fort Prizenstein is visited by many tourists from countries such as the United State of America, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Denmark, Ireland, Benin, Germany, and Finland. The fort has been nominated as a World Heritage Property.

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