Star shaped military fort
- Star Fort, in front of the hospital, Matara
- Open daily 9am-5pm (except Poya day & Government holidays)
Military Fort
Matara is one of the few places where the Singhale defeated the Dutch colonial rulers. During the 'Matara Rebellion' of 1761, Matara Fort was captured by the Kandyan army, the soldiers crossed the bridge and bombarded the garrison and elephant stables in the fort with cannonballs that went over the wall.
The Dutch fled with ships that were waiting at sea and returned a year later to recapture Matara Fort. The new Dutch Governor of Barron van Eck, decided to build an extra fort by the bridge to prevent future attacks from the land: Star Fort.
We would like to renovate and reactivate the fort as a cafeteria, while honouring the heritage conditions.
Shaped like a star
Star Fort was solely for military purposes. The rooms are for powder magazines, a grain shed, and a small kitchen, a water well and bed space for the superintendent. Today, the Star Fort is used as the Matara Archeological Museum. It shows artefacts, books, photographs and models of Matara Fort.
Nice to Know
We believe that this Star Fort was built by Orukema Muhandiram a Sinhala architect.