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Sri-LankaDescription and is it worth a visit
Dutch Fort of Jaffna is one of the largest and best preserved forts in Asia, and the largest in Sri Lanka. Initially, a Portuguese fortress was erected here in 1618. But in 1658, the Dutch captured it, and built their five-pointed fortress on top of it, which is why it is also known as the Star Fort.
The fort has survived to this day almost unchanged, but was severely damaged during the civil war in the second half of the last century. The fact is that it was used for its intended purpose by the armed group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and government forces besieged and bombed the fort for 50 days. As a result, many historical sites were destroyed, but today active work is underway to restore them.
Today the fort can be visited as a tourist attraction. During the visit, you can move freely around the territory, climb the walls, but part of the territory is inaccessible due to restoration work. There are several exhibitions about the history of the fort in the walls, but they are not always open.
Until recently, the fort was available for free, but now the entrance has become paid. Moreover, which is very bad, a discriminatory price was set for it for foreigners, it is 25 times higher than for local residents. And if earlier we would definitely recommend definitely visiting it, now it is a big question. But it's up to you to decide whether to attend or not, of course.
🕐 Working hours
From 07:00 to 18:00 seven days a week.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
Entrance for foreign tourists is $5 (5 USD), paid in local currency after recalculation. The local entrance is 60 rupees (0.18 USD).
🚶 How to get there
Located in the center of Jaffna (fort on the map).
Getting to know the sights of Jaffna and the north of Sri Lanka is much more interesting and informative with the help of excursions that can be purchased on one of the sites with reviews: