Galle has a very long history and is marked in the island of Sri Lanka in Ptolemy’s world map prepared around 125 – 150 AD. During that time Galle was a busy port. Foreign traders like Greeks, Arabs, Chinese etc have been visiting Galle for trade.

Some believe that word Galle is derived from the Dutch word ‘Gallus’ which means chicken. But some believe that there was a very large ‘Gaala’ of cattle here. Gaala in Sinhala means the place where cattle are herded together. So they believe Galle is a development from ‘Gaala’. It is from Galle harbor that Portuguese led by Lorenzo de Almeida first arrived in Sri Lanka. There arrival marked an important watershed in Sri Lanka’s history because it completely changed the course of Sri Lankan history. Their arrival however, was not a planned one. It was by mere chance they came here as there ship was caught in a storm and it is the winds that brought their ship to Galle.

After their arrival in Sri Lanka,they befriended Dharmaparakrama bahu , the then King of Kotte.He permitted them to build a fort and church inside. The Fort was meant for the security of the Sinhalese. But by an irony of fate , that Fort later became the prison to keep Sinhalese who opposed them


Dutch Museum
For a peep into life in the days of the Dutch East India Company, look into this small museum at 31 Leyn Baan Street. Housed in a restored Dutch mansion of the time, it contains paintings, prints, documents, furniture & ceramics from the Dutch colonial era.

National Cultural Museum
Natural Cultural Museum is housed in an old colonial stone warehouse on Church Street as you enter the Fort. Exhibits include a model of Galle & the fort's Dutch & Portuguese inheritance.

Light House
The old lighthouse with the lantern at the height of 92 feet above low-water, built in 1848 was burnt down in 1936. The new light was built in 1940 at Utreeth Bastion in the same street, lighthouse street called 'Zeeburgstraat' 'Middelpuntstraat' during the Dutch period. The lantern is 92 feet above low-water level.

Flag rock
Flag rock was once a Portuguese bastion. From there the Dutch signaled approaching ships to warn them of dangerous rocks-hence its name. Musket shots were fired from Pigeon Island, close to the rock, to further alert the ships to the danger.