Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
took shelter in the harbour. Apparently, on hearing a cock (
galo
in Portuguese) crowing,
they gave the town its name. Another slightly less dubious story is that the name is derived
from the Sinhala word
gala
(rock).
In 1589, during one of their periodic squabbles with the kingdom of Kandy, the Por-
tuguese built a small fort, which they named Santa Cruz. Later they extended it with a
series of bastions and walls, but the Dutch, who took Galle in 1640, destroyed most traces
of the Portuguese presence.
After the construction of the Fort in the 17th century, Galle was the main port for Sri
Lanka for more than 200 years, and was an important stop for boats and ships travelling
between Europe and Asia. However, by the time Galle passed into British hands in 1796,
commercial interest was turning to Colombo. The construction of breakwaters in Co-
lombo's harbour in the late 19th century sealed Galle's status as a secondary harbour,
though it still handles some shipping and yachts.
The 2004 tsunami hit Galle's new town badly. In contrast, the solid walls of the Fort
helped limit damage in the old quarter. More usefully, the Dutch love of good drainage
meant that the Fort area quickly drained of floodwaters thanks to the still efficient 18th-
century storm sewers.
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