For the first time, Sri Lanka to host the International Symposium of the Dutch Trading Posts Heritage Network
View(s):The Galle Heritage Foundation will host the 10th Network Meeting and International Symposium of the Dutch Trading Posts Heritage Network (DTPHN) in Galle from September 30 to October 4. This will be the first time that Sri Lanka is hosting the international meeting of the DTPHN.
Organised by the Secretariat of the DTPHN in partnership with the Embassy of the Netherlands in Colombo, the theme of the symposium is ‘Shared Heritage for Inclusive Growth’.
The Dutch Trading Post Heritage Network (DTPHN) was established in 2014 as an international network of institutions (both public and private sector) that work with the heritage of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). In the 17th and 18th centuries, the VOC operated a large trading network connecting many trading posts in Asia and on the eastern seaboard of Africa as well as in the Netherlands. This network brings these institutions together to re-establish shared historical and heritage connections.
The network with its secretariat in Hirado, Japan currently has 13 member institutions that mainly focus on the heritage from the era of the Dutch East India Company and its role as a platform to
increase cultural, educational, and economic exchange.
Galle as a flourishing
Dutch trading post
Strategically located in Sri Lanka’s southern sea board along the ancient maritime trade routes connecting the China Seas and the Mediterranean Sea across the Indian Ocean, Galle had a long history of being an international harbour and a trading post – at least from the 4th century AD. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to use this trading post during the European expansion in Asia starting from the 16th century, but it was the Dutch who transformed Galle into a maritime trading hub during their dominance in the Indian Ocean in the 17th and 18th centuries. Galle Port is a rich underwater archaeological site having numerous ship wrecks, mostly dating from the period of the VOC activity.
The Portuguese also founded a fortified settlement in the 16th century during their occupation in Sri Lanka. However, the Galle Fort reached the height of its development in the 18th century under the Dutch occupation of the country’s maritime provinces.
Galle is the best representation of a fortified city built by the Europeans in South Asia, showcasing the interaction between Dutch planning principles and Sri Lankan building traditions. Its street grid represents the typical Dutch tradition of parcelling out of blocks for building purposes with clusters of buildings within a limited area with narrow sides facing the street. The rows of frontal verandahs of the street houses shaded by a high overhanging roofs supported by slender columns, give it a distinctive streetscape. The internal court-yards etc. are the adopted Sri Lankan elements which offers a unique character to the town.
The town also consists of public and administrative buildings reflecting colonial architectural characteristics. The monumental ramparts which fortify the town follow the existing
morphology of the site, and the series of bastions located at strategic points in both sea and land fronts together with the ramparts reflect the fortification engineering knowledge adopted by the Dutch in an unfamiliar terrain in South Asia.
Due to its Outstanding
Universal Value, the Galle Fort was inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1988 under the Criterion IV (‘an outstanding example of a type of building or architectural ensemble which illustrates a significant stage in history’). Currently, the Galle Fort, a living urban settlement, is one of the major heritage sites
in Sri Lanka attracting both local
and foreign tourists.
Galle Heritage Foundation
Established by an act of the Parliament in 1994, the role of the Galle Heritage Foundation as a state institution is to act as the umbrella organization to protect, conserve, develop and manage the Galle Fort and its historic hinterland including the Galle Port with other stakeholders like the Department of Archaeology, Department of Coast Conservation, Department of National Museums, Galle Municipal Council, Urban Development Authority, Sri Lanka Ports Development Authority, the Central Cultural Fund, the District Secretary, Divisional Secretary and the Resident Community within Galle Fort through a participatory approach.
All decisions with regard to the management of the site are taken by a Board of Management of the Foundation, headed by its chairman, appointed by the Minister in charge of culture. The heads of the Departments and other stakeholder organisations are the members of the Board of Management. The 10th meeting of the DTPHN will also be used as an opportunity to increase the institutional members in South Africa, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The participants from Sri Lanka will include those representing the Galle Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Department of Archaeology, Central Cultural Fund, National Museum, National Archives and Universities.
| The Programme | |
| The ceremonial inauguration of the event will take place in the evening of September 30 at Radisson Blue Resort, Galle. On Day 2 (October 1), a public symposium titled ‘Shared Heritage for Inclusive Growth’ will be held at the same venue. Day 3 (October 2) will be devoted for the network meeting of all the participants at the Heritage Hotel in Galle Fort. The programme will also include site visits to Galle and Matara Forts. On Day 4 (October 3), the participants will travel to Colombo and visit the National Museum in Colombo to get an overview of the process of the recent return of several artefacts that were taken to the Netherlands during the 17th and 18th centuries of the VOC occupation in Sri Lanka and the National Archives in Colombo to observe efforts in the protection, conservation and management efforts of the archival records of the VoC-related history. A visit to Colombo Fort and Port is also planned on Day 4. |
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