Fort Witsen, Dutch colonial fort in Western Region, Ghana.
Fort Witsen is a Dutch colonial fort on the Gulf of Guinea coast in the Western Region of Ghana, close to the city of Sekondi-Takoradi. It was built from local stone and features bastions along with inner spaces that originally served as storage and living quarters.
Fort Witsen, also called Fort Tacaray, was established by the Dutch in 1665 near Takoradi. It was destroyed after a few years, and the site was abandoned in 1684. A map from 1791 shows the Dutch had renewed their presence there. The fort was handed to Britain with the entire Dutch Gold Coast on 6 April 1872 under the Anglo-Dutch Treaties of 1870–1871.
The fort's other name, Fort Tacaray, comes from the nearby settlement, and Dutch maps of 1791 still mark the post as active. The site passed to Britain on 6 April 1872 with the whole Dutch Gold Coast under the Anglo-Dutch Treaties of 1870-1871, so the ruins a visitor sees today stand on ground that changed colonial hands by treaty rather than battle.
The fort is located near Sekondi-Takoradi and is easiest to explore with a local guide who knows the terrain. Sturdy shoes are a good idea, as parts of the ruins and the coastal ground can be uneven.
The site was abandoned in 1684, yet a Dutch map of 1791 shows the fort occupied again, so the Dutch renewed their presence there at some point in between. No source records when or how that return happened, leaving the gap unresolved.
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