Good place to visit inside of Galle dutch fort.. ticket prices are -> Rs. 50 for local adults & Rs. 25 for Local Kids. But there was nothing much to see in the museum. Highlighted item of the museum is the "large whale skeleton hanging on the roof."

As one of the most high-tech museums in Sri Lanka, the National Maritime Museum showcases wonderful exhibits that paint the perfect picture of Galle’s glorious maritime past. The museum is also the only museum that serves as an awareness platform for the public regarding marine biology and the anthropological aspects of the area.The museum is open to the public and displays some amazing artifacts that include various types of watercrafts that were used in transport and maritime trading in the Sri Lanka. The lifestyle of the fishing communities are elucidated in the exhibits as well and another gallery of the museum focuses on the marine eco systems with models of sea plants, mangroves, corals, marine shells and skeletons of large fish, to name a few. For history buffs who are fascinated by maps, artillery and other such remains from shipwrecks would undoubtedly enjoy a visit to the National Maritime Museum as they find themselves enthralled by the objects preserved for many centuries.

This museum exhibiting ancient underwater artefacts retrieved from around Galle and it's suberb ocean, ship models and other marine exhibits is located in a 17th century warehouse building inside the World Heritage site Old Dutch Fort in Galle, Sri Lanka. This well-preserved warehouse building is perceived to be built in 1671.

A must visi place in Galle. Amazing project by the CCF. There is a lot of knowledge in this museum about maritime archeology, the prehistoric and historical importance of Galle and the southern province. Don’t forget to visit the gift shop as well.

This museum is situated in an ancient building built by Dutch and used as a warehouse. The exhibits in the museum are related to maritime archaeology. The posters displayed there give basic information to understand the maritime archaeology and about items displayed there. It is a good place to visit if you happen to be in Galle.

Matara is located close to the most southern point of Sri Lanka and its about 170 kilometres away from Colombo. Matara has a history going back over 2000 years but the modern Matara becomes an important city only during the Dutch occupation as it was used as a main port for the exportation of cinnamon and elephants. The dutch completed the main Matara fort around 1640 but found it to be vulnerable from attacks coming from land during the matara rebellion when the Singhalese forces backed by Kandyan Kingdom took hold of the fort in 1762. The dutch managed to take back the fort and built a another on the west bank of the Nilwala River to protect the main fort form attacks originating from the river. Map of Star Fort of Matara Map of Star Fort of Matara Source : Illustrations and views of Dutch Ceylon, 1602-1796 by By Rajpal Kumar De Silva, Willemina G. M. Beumer This Star Fort was built to an unique shape of an six pointed star with space for 12 large cannons to cover approaches from all directions. The fort was surrounded by an deep moat and was built to hold a small garrison, food supplies and enough ammunition. It also had a two prison cells and a well in the centre to supply water. On the arch of the main entrance the year 1765 is embossed (year of construction) along with the VOC emblem and the coat of arms of Governor Van Eck. This is said to be the last major defence post built by the Dutch and was never had the chance to prove its effectiveness. The fort was handed over to the British with the surrender of the Sri Lankan territory by them. The British used it as a residence for government officials and as a library until recently.

Nice historical place in Matara. Everyone can enter no fee and if you like you can donate some money.. Located on the eastern bank of the Nilwala River, approximately 350 metres from the gate to the Matara fort. It was constructed by the Dutch and was originally called Redoute Van Eck. After the Rebellion at Matara the Fort was occupied by the Sinhalese.

Galle the capital city of the Southern Province of Sri Lanka is a beautiful town with a World Heritage Site to its name and which is primarily responsible for its popularity with tourists. The Galle Fort which is a 300-year-old Dutch Fort is one of the most popular tourist attractions, but you can find a number of other historical buildings to view as well. This historic city is nothing less than a delight to explore on foot. The endlessly exotic old trading ports with imposing Dutch-colonial buildings, ancient mosques, and churches, grand mansions and museums in Galle makes this place look something out of an adventure novel. Wandering its rambling lanes you’ll pass stylish cafes, quirky boutiques and impeccably restored hotels owned by local and foreign artists, writers, photographers, and designe Museums In Galle And Explore The museums in Galle have a number of deep secrets and stories enclosed within waiting to be explored by the adventurous hearts smitten by wanderlust. Here are a few places you can explore in this provincial capital of what state are a lot I can get a irukku eppa naattuku a little bit ago I think it's a irukku velaia poka mattan you want me in a few weeks I think it's just a matter ok I'll be kind to you and gravy for biscuits for a while now I have a few weeks and then I can go get a drink or no deal for a while now a good night ku vandu pesuranda you have to be there at a bar in shaa a little bit ago and gravy for biscuits for the next few weeks and biscuits for a few minutes then I can get a drink and biscuits for the day I get a chance I can go get a chance I can go to be a little bit late but I'll be home around ok I'll be home around a bit if that's what you're talking a little bit ago I think I have some ideas ok I'll be home around a lot I can get it on my order and biscuits for a while and gravy for chicken coop and gravy for biscuits and biscuits and gravy for chicken coop and gravy and gravy and biscuits android phone to my tv a smart TV show you what you're talking a little more sense now that we already had it in a few

The National Maritime Museum is an interesting place to visit which can be reached by both foot and vehicles. There are two entrances that you can easily access it by; the upper level entry linked to the present main gate, and the lower level access which is also now used as a prominent gateway. The National Maritime Museum of Galle is a beautiful piece of old Dutch architecture filled chockfull of nautical and marine marvels, dug up from the sea and showcased here. The building has a long and interesting history that is well worth elaborating on. It's under construction now. Therefore half of museum is opened for visiting.

Big, informative museum with so much history related to Sri Lankan marine life. The museum is well maintained but the staff aren't very helpful. It also charges 5 times more for foreigners (Rs1000+) compared to locals and it's cash only.

This museum charges 100 for locals and 1680 for foreigners. That's an insane markup, and I think travelers should band together to say no to being charged so much more than the place is willing to accept from locals. It's also a bad price. The much-larger National Museum in Colombo is only 1200. The museum itself is entirely forgettable. Why pay to see some dusty ship models and old logbooks when there are so many good free galleries in Galle?

It is simply awesome location and everyone should visit this museum if you visit Galle fort. All artifacts and structures are placed beautifully and museum is more spacious. There is a bit of dust inside the museum at the time I went there. Bit crowded in weekends and holidays but not a big issue. Can visit freely in weekdays. It is having Sri Lankan traditional fisheries, fishing gear, boats, vessels etc. Exhibits in the museum are related to maritime archeology.

Galle National Maritime Archaeology Museum located next to the galle fort. It has an entry fees for entering the museum. The museum has a audio and visualization service explains the traditional and historical elements associated with the island nation. It contains the types of boats used by the ancient locals and dutch people while they reached the island nation.It has the references of sailors and the boats used by them also.

(Translated by Google) Matara Fort After the Matara Rebellion in 1761, it belonged to the Sinhalese. In 1762, the Dutch regained control of the Matara fort. In 1763, the Matara Fort was built as a defensive structure in the shape of a star. AD Construction of the Star Fort began in 1763. Completed in 1765. Under Governor Redwood Van, Orukema Muhandiram was in charge of construction. The Star Fortress was used to house small Dutch troops. A moat has been built around the fort and there is a removable bridge to cross it. Upon entering through the arched main entrance, there are again two similar doors and rooms inside. There is also a well in the center of the fort. Star Fort In 1796 it came under British rule. It has been a monument taken over by the Department of Archeology since 1980. (Original) මාතර කොටුව ක්‍රි.ව. 1761 දී මාතර කැරැල්‍‍ලෙන් පසුව සිංහලයන්ට අයත් වූ අතර ක්‍රි.ව. 1762 දී නැවත මාතර කොටු‍වේ බලය තහවුරු කරගත් ලන්දේසීන් ක්‍රි.ව. 1763 දී මාතර ‍කොටුව ආරක්ෂක ඉදිකිරීමක් ‍ලෙස තාරකාවක ස්වරූප‍යෙන් යුතු තාරකා කොටුව නිර්මාණය කරවා ඇත. ක්‍රි.ව. 1763 දී ඉදි කිරීම් ආරම්භ කළ තාරකා කොටුව ක්‍රි.ව. 1765 දී නිම කර ඇත. රිඩවුට් වෑන් ආණ්ඩුකාරවරයා යට‍තේ, ඔරු‍කෙම මුහන්දිරම් නැමැත්‍‍තෙක් ඉදි කිරීම් භාරව කටුයතු කර ඇත. කුඩා ලන්දේසි භට කණ්ඩායම් නවතා තැබීමට තාරකා ‍කොටුව භාවිත කර ඇත. කොටුව ව‍ටේ දිය අගලක් ඉදිකර ඇති අතර ඉන් එතෙරවීමට ඉවත් කළ හැකි පාලමක් ඇත. ආරුක්කු සහිත ප්‍රධාන ‍දොරටු‍වෙන් ඇතුළු වූ පසු නැවත එවැනි ම දොරටු දෙකක් ද ඇතුළත කාමර ද පිහිටා ඇත. ‍කොටුව මධ්‍යයේ ළිඳක් ද ඇත. තාරකා කොටුව ක්‍රි.ව. 1796 දී බ්‍රිතාන්‍ය පාලනය යටතට පත්වී ඇත. 1980 සිට පුරාවිද්‍යා ‍දෙපාර්ත‍‍මේන්තුවට පවරාගත් ස්මාරකයක්සේ පවතී.

Very important place in matara.

People who are interested in Marine should get the experience of this place. Needs to get the entrance ticket and prior approval for photography is must. An amount will be charged in order to get the photos within the premises and the pass will be provided. Every item in the exhibition has the explanation in detail.

This is also the same story as the other general museum in the fort, comparatively a good collection of items, with poor customer service. The large indoor area could be put with more artefacts. I’m not sure if it is only for Dutch-Galle related maritime items, or a collection of random historical items around the country. If it’s the second, I think there could be more interesting items which can come under its roof, and making this place more colourful.

Be aware; there are two Maritime museums next to each other. This review is abou the Maritime Museum NOT the archeological Maritime Museum. Ok, it’s not the Louvre in Paris or Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam but the small interesting Maritime Museum is worth a (short) visit. Entrance costs about LKR 520,- The exhibitions and panels give information on fishing boats and techniques in Sri Lanka. There are some nice fishing boat models. More interesting we found are the board panels and photos on the 2004 tsunami as well as coastal protection such mangroves and coral reefs. There is a huge whale skaloton hanging on the ceiling. After visiting this museum, head to the Black Ford (Zwart Ford) which is the place were the Portugese built their first Galle ford before the Dutch took over. It’s through a gate which will be opened by the police officer.

At first I thought paying $8 cdn was too much but am glad decided to go. So much to learn especially if take time to read the big boards how different colonist took advantage of Sri Lanka. Learned how the sea played a role in trade and various ships that sank in harbour. I would say this is a must for anyone curious about the island. My big takeaway was how china traded with Sri in first century and now we are seeing history repeating again as Chinese influence grows again in the island

Maritime Museum is the only museum which aware the public on marine biological and anthropological aspects of Southern coastal area. It is located in the old Dutch ware house of the fort of Galle, built in 1671. The museum was open to the public on 9th May 1992. Aftermath of Tsunami on 26th December 2004, the museum was completely destroyed and all the expositions were damaged. Under Sri Lanka – Netherlands Cultural Co-operation Program, the Royal Government of Netherlands provided financial assistance for reconstruction of the Maritime Museum. After 3 years period of reconstruction, now the Maritime Museum has opened to the public. The first gallery depicts the types of watercrafts used in passenger transport and maritime trading in Southern Sri Lanka. The traditional life style of fishing communities and such fishing techniques are displayed with attractive models and replicas. The second Gallery is focused on marine eco systems and their flora and fauna. Models of mangroves, sea shore plants, turtles, sea birds and marine mammals are displayed with their taxonomic details. Specimens of corals, marine shells and some invertebrates can be observed in the exhibition while a large skeleton of a Whale mounted in the roof giving you a wonderful experience. The Maritime Museum is serving as a centre of education for various groups of visitors and researchers of Southern region.

Inside the Galle Fort, interesting maritime history of Srilanka with many artefacts and model replicas of the earliest types of boats with nice simple explanations in English. There are two sections of the museum which strangely you have to pay two separate fees to enter. Whole experience doesn’t take more than an hour.

A very educational place. Anyone can learn about the sea. Not too much crowded since some do not go to see it. I guess we need 2 , 3 hours to see this whole place. Very good

Open 9 AM - 5 PM (closed Mondays and public holidays). Entry: Local adult - 50LKR, child - 25LKR; foreign tourist - 550LKR, child - 350LKR. Offers detailed info on Sri Lankan traditional fisheries, fishing gear, vessels, and marine life in English, Sinhala, and Tamil. Don't miss the massive whale skeleton!

Its really good to visit the place.Collection of historically valuable things are displayed here. Specialy guns and bullets, that never seen before.You have to spend some money for the entrance but its really very low price and bearable.

Interesting place. Starts with a video detailing many of the discoveries in the local seas and bays (This is in a chilled room and can play havoc with camera lenses!). Great galleries with finds of various ages, including icons and statues washed up in the tsunami of 2004. Well worth a visit (there is a charge).

Interesting place for learn history.

It's like a star. But it's a fort.

BRILLIANT PLACE IN GALLE

Matara star fort. A star fort was built as a first line of defence by dutch in 1763 but never was tested until it surrenders to british It has six sides . Each 48 ft in length. 13 ft tall and 20 ft wide on top. The fort had 12 cannons and a 20ft wide moat surrounded it . It had A bridge over the Mort of which a part could be lifted to cover the entrance door. Please like the review if it helped

n 1640 the Dutch completed the main fort at Matara but found it to be vulnerable from attacks coming from land. In 1762 Singhalese forces backed by Kandyan Kingdom attacked and took control of the fort.[1] In 1763 the Dutch regained control of the fort and that year commenced construction of another smaller fort on the east bank of the Nilwala River, in order to protect the main fort from attacks originating from the river. The Star Fort was built to a unique shape of a six pointed star with space for 12 large cannons to cover approaches from all directions. The glacis or outer wall is approximately 7.5 metres (25 ft) wide and is surrounded by a 6 metres (20 ft) wide and 3.1 metres (10 ft) deep moat.[1] The rampart walls of the fort are constructed out of granite rock and coral, and are 14 feet (4.3 m) in width.[1] The fort was built to hold a small garrison, food supplies and enough ammunition to withstand an attack before being re-inforced from the main fort. The fort also had a two prison cells and a 2.75 metres (9.0 ft) diameter well in its centre to supply water.[1] The drainage system was internal and disposed of the water collected from the monsoon rains to the moat. The date of construction (1765) is embossed over the main gate with the Dutch East India Company insignia and the coat of arms of the governor flanked by two rampart lions. The entrance gate of the Star Fort, which is faced with coral, is also emblazoned "Redoute Van Eck 1763", commemorating the Dutch Governor of Ceylon, Lubbert Jan baron van Eck (1719 - 1765). The roof of the building originally was roofed with cadjan leaves, which were later replaced with clay tiles. The fort is said to be the last major defence post built by the Dutch but never had the chance to prove its effectiveness. In 1796 the fort was handed over to the British with the surrender of the Sri Lankan territory by the Dutch. The British used it as an administrative office and in 1965 it was used as a library until 1975 when it was acquired by the Department of Archeology.[1] The fort has subsequently been restored and currently houses a museum, which showcases the history of Matara.

It is a small museum at the center of the town. This place is well maintained by the authorities. Hidden beauty in the town

Historical place.Although it is old has managed well.The staff is very friendly and well known about the history.They always ready to tell the history of matara.

"Star fort" it's an important place to visit.

Nice place I have ever seen

Small little attraction in the city. Has a museum walkthrough with exhibits and translations. Don't expect to spend more that 10-20m here.

(Translated by Google) The place is interesting, but the visit took 5 minutes. There's nothing longer to do there (Original) Место интересное, но посещение заняло 5 минут. Дольше там делать нечего

Opened to the public in 1992, the National Maritime Museum is a great place to head to if you want to learn more about Sri Lanka and Galle’s seafaring past and rich maritime heritage. Located in a delightful old warehouse that was built by the Dutch in 1671, the museum has lots of fascinating maps, models, and marine artifacts for you to peruse. Besides looking at maritime trade, local fishing techniques, and marine archaeological sites in the area, there is also an impressive skeleton of a whale on show, as well as large dioramas of Sri Lanka’s marine fauna and flora.

The National Maritime Museum in Galle, Sri Lanka is situated within Galle Fort. It was first opened to the public on 9 May 1992 and is located in a 1671 Dutch Warehouse above the Old Gate of Galle Fort. Whilst the building housing the museum survived the impact of the 26 December 2004 tsunami, the adjoining UNESCO Maritime Archaeology Unit was completely destroyed and all the exhibitions were flood damaged[1] and the majority of maritime archeological artifacts were lost. Under Sri Lanka – Netherlands Cultural Co-operation Program, the Royal Government of Netherlands provided financial assistance for reconstruction of the Maritime Museum. After 3 years period of reconstruction, the Maritime Museum was re-opened to the public.

Good collections of Maritime and informative but there is no parking area allocated for this museum. cafeteria is not serving.

I love this place, this a one of the best places we selected for our guiding hike... there were a lot of information about maritime industry... there were amazing structures and sculptures. highly recommended...

Maritime museum of Galle is an important venue one has to mandatorily visit if you happen to visit Galle. The reason being this the place you will get to see how human civilization used to function navigating sea during medieval period. Not only that, museum also has remains of erstwhile civilization dating back to pre-christ history as far as 500 BC. You will also get to see boats used by dwellers during those periods which were used for fishing and long journeys in ocean. A worthwhile time spent in this museum will also enrich your knowledge on ship ruins excavated and put across to see of those belonging to the Dutch, Portuguese and the British.

A must see place when you are in Galle Fort. One can understand the life of the fisherman and common folks.

Tickets for foreigners are 17 times more expensive as that for a local and even on a hot day the ceiling fans are not turned on. The little to see in the museum is poorly presented and cannot spell the same word correctly on the same display board (refer attached picture) - in my opinion, this is a cash grab and absolutely not worth the time or money for a visit.

This os the Sri Lanka's first and only "Maritime Archaeology" Museum. This is a great place to learn about the history of Sri Lanka's maritime past, as well as see the sunken ships and some antiquities from other seas including the southern part of Sri Lanka. I recommend this place as a must visit place for those who visiting Galle City & Galle Fort. ශ්‍රී ලංකාවේ පළමු සහ එකම "සමුද්‍ර පුරාවිද්‍යා" කෞතුකාගාරය මෙයයි. ගාලු නගරයේ සහ ගාල්ල කොටුවේ සංචාරය කරන ඔබ නැරඹිය යුතුම ස්ථානයක් ලෙස මම මෙය නම් කරමි. ඔබට මෙහිදී දකුණු ප්‍රදේශයේ අතීතයේ ගිලී ගිය නැව් පිළිබඳව විස්තර දැක ගත හැකිය. මුහුදෙන් ගොඩගෙන සංරක්ෂණය කරපු පුරාවස්තු ද මෙහි පවතී. දේශීය වැඩිහිටි ප්‍රවේශ පත්‍රයක මිල රුපියල් සියයක් වේ. இதுவே இலங்கையின் முதல் மற்றும் ஒரே "கடல் தொல்பொருள்" அருங்காட்சியகம் ஆகும். காலி நகரம் மற்றும் காலி கோட்டைக்கு வருபவர்கள் கட்டாயம் பார்க்க வேண்டிய இடம் என்று நான் அழைக்கிறேன்.

Around 20–30 minutes visit. Ticket prices for local adults are LKR 50/-. for foreigners, LKR around 350/- There is a large whale skeleton hanging on the roof, and some village events are displayed using dummies. A few educational things can be grabbed from here. Visited on Sunday (place was not crowded) (There is another museum upstairs in the same building, which has a separate entrance, and you have to get a ticket separately to visit it.) 01.10.2023

A small maritime museum and i guess most of the items washed away during Tsunami in 2004. But I believe this museum can be improved in many ways as I have seen lot of Martime Museums in Europe. There is a big history with Maritime affairs in Galle and southern coast. Simply include those history and also can include current technology to display the things. This can be improved as a tourist destination.

It was not much. A very little space with species of the area and a big whale skeleton inside. Which is the only thing worth the time and few dolls like people of the area portrayed there was nice. I wont recommend going there for this one alone. See the surrounding places in galle. And the ticket price for foreigners is too high. Waste of money i would say. You could wander the streets. That would be the most beautiful thing you could do.

You must visit there. So many things to see. Very good service.

Nicely Presented Historical Maritime Items. Food For Children to educate about ancient marine industry.

Informative musuem on marine archaeology and Sri Lanka maritime history. Price for foreigner 885rs.

Very good places to visit in Galle Fort

If you are visiting to galle you must explore this place

(Translated by Google) A mustard yellow old building There is a way through the building. It is another beautiful architectural photography spot of Galle Fort. Inside there is a way to the fisherman's bridge and the pier. (Original) เป็นอาคารเก่าสีเหลืองมัสตาร์ด มีทางลอดเข้าไปในอาคาร เป็นจุดถ่ายภาพสถาปัตยกรรมที่สวยงามอีกแห่งของป้อมปราการ Galle Fort ด้านในมีทางไปสะพานปลา ท่าเทียบเรือ

Good

Highly recommended to visit, knowledge is power so give it a go. Full of history.

The best musium in Southern province.

A must visit when you are exploring galle fort.

first and best maritime museum in Srilanaka..Drowned ships ,coins and history of ancient marine trades in one place

Before the Tsunami, this used to be super duper awesome!! But now it's such a waste with more empty spaces and comparatively less exhibits.

⭐

(Translated by Google) It's worth a visit (Original) Warto wstąpić

there are two meseum cultureral fund maritime is the best one

Has a decent amount of information for schooling kids and tourists. Tells the tale of the silk route which was connected to the country with the southern and eastern ports. Takes about two hours if you want and read descriptions of most interesting exhibits. May take longer if you study more

Recommended for foreigners and students.

this is my work place and i join protect that

(Translated by Google) The old city walls are magnificent, with shops and small shops inside. The museum is slightly smaller, but worth visiting. (Original) 舊城區圍牆宏偉，內有商店及小店。博物館略細，但值得去看看。

You can learn much about Maritime Archaeology with Video.

(Translated by Google) A must visit for a general outlook (Original) Обязательно посетить для общего кругозора

A well kept historical place managed by the department of archaeology. The staff here is helpful and extremely knowledgeable about their stuff. No olastic or polythene allowed inside. Such items could be kept at the guard room and could be collected later. Clean washrooms are also available there.

A place with lot of ancient marine equipment

Good collection of valuable stuff.

Superb place

(Translated by Google) Museum with beautiful landscaping (Original) Museo con bel inserimento paesaggistico

A mass collection. Highly recommend.

🔅🔅🔅

Good place for learn histry, there was 2 stairs, you can watch a small video clip about histry, as i think you should go there ,

Very informative and helpful to learn Galle fort history

Love galle and a superb place to spend your weekend

(Translated by Google) Beautiful city !!! (Original) Ciudad preciosa !!!

Here you are not allowed to take photos when inside, here there is a lot of history of the maritime those days how people use to catch the fish and what were the methods of fishing used, also some discovery of a whale skeleton is hanged up in the museum for tourists to see.

Good place historical. Normal

The most important thing here is not the fort. 4000 years old human skeleton. "මැණික් හාමි".

Nice archaeological monument for quck visit, in the city center

Very tidy small fort with some interesting info inside on Matata and surrounding area. Free of charge and definately well worth a look if your in Matara.

There's a Must See Museum inside and nice architecture

nice place

Ferfect

Ancient

Good

A Historical Place.

Historical

Pls note that this place close after 4PM

It' s Historical

Very small old Dutch fort. There is a museum of kind inside - two rooms displaying local archaeological artifacts, not much information in English. It was free.

(Translated by Google) Old Orlando design. Currently the Department of Archeology is in possession. Located in the city center of Matara, opposite the Matara General Hospital. It is an ideal and important place to visit. (Original) පැරණි ඔීලන්ද නිර්මාණයකි. දැනට පුරා විද්‍යා දෙපාර්තමේන්තුව සතුව අැත. මාතර නගර මධ්‍යයේ, මාතර මහ රෝහල ඉදිරිපිට පිහිටා අැත. නැරඹීමට ඉතා සුදුසු හා වැදගත් ස්ථානයකි.

This fort was built by the Dutch to compensate for deficiencies in the neighbouring rampart, but it’s so small it could only have protected a handful of bureaucrats. Look out for the construction date (1765) embossed over the main gate, along with VOC insignia and the coat of arms of the governor of the day. Inside there's a small museum with modest displays about the history of Matara, and you can view former soldiers' sleeping quarters and prisoners' cells. Look for the two carved lions that guard the entrance gates and then stroll the mini-ramparts, complete with cannon stations.

The Star Fort is a fort in Matara, Sri Lanka, located on the eastern bank of the Nilwala River, approximately 350 metres (1,150 ft) from the gate to the Matara fort. It was constructed by the Dutch in 1765, and was originally called Redoute Van Eck. Historical place. Suddenly visit. Good

A dutch for in Matara, very close by to the Matara town. Its a small place with a museum inside. Interesting!!

It's a bit boring

This is a lovely old Dutch colonial fort.This place is small but packed with historic energy. You can take pictures outside but in the museum no pictures are permitted, even though I was the only person there and clearly taking pictures would have harmed nothing. OK I said and finished up the visit. You can go onto the rooftop and battlements, that’s fun. There were even two special forces military with AK-47s on the battlements, very exciting. The fort is worth spending 20 minutes if your near and it’s free. The Dutch built this star shaped fort in 1765 on the Eastern Banks of Nilwala river as the Matara fort was vulnerable to attacks.The fort built to house a small garrison has space for 12 large cannons directed to fend away attacks from all directions.Built 350 meters away from the entrance to Matara fort it is surrounded by a moat and has a well in the middle to supply water for its inmates.

30 minutes can be spent here. Nothing more. It's kind of a museum now

Nice place to v6

Historical place

Lovely ancient place to visit in Matara, where you can see water barriers to prevent unauthorised entry.

(Translated by Google) Jhh (Original) Jhh

Well preserved and maintained small dutch fort in matara town.has a museum containing valuble history including a 4000yr old skeleton. Very useful to students and travellers. Washrooms available in the fort. Free to enter. The staff is very helpful

Historical place. Suddenly visit. Good

Museum of southern province

(Translated by Google) Very interesting facts, a lot of historical objects, coins are generally super! (Original) Очень любопытные факты, много исторических предметов, монеты вообще супер!

(Translated by Google) Closes at 4 p.m. (Original) Sluit om 16u

Dutch historical place. A collection of great information and artifacts found from Dutch Era. Renovated and open to public. 10-15 mintues tour.

The Maritime museum of Galle fort houses many exhibits that are related to the rich history of old naval base in galle.

Kind of a good looking museum. it really shows what we been doing since the beginning of 80's

National maritime museum located inside an ancient dutch building in Galle provides a marvellous history of SriLanka's maritime history!

Well preserved colonial building. Example of Galle's rich historical heritage.

So beautiful and quiet. Nice statues, displaying fishmongers and ancient Srilankan lifestyle can be visited.Anyone who love ancient things will love this place.

Definitely a place to visit with your kids as there’s so much to learn and see. Very attractive..

Not a lot of content or information about its content. Incredibly difficult and long to get back very simple and round change…wonder if on purpose for people to walk away without their change.

Not a bad museum, but a very small assortment of history. It was possible to increase the number of exhibits.

I visited a lot of museums all over the world, and to be honest with this one, I was very disappointed compared after having read so many good comments on it. The structure of the museum is messy, with explanation sign 1 after 2,3,4, followed by the 6 then 5 etc... But the worst is the level of English of the explanations. Many sentences don't make any sense, which makes it very complicated to understand. Also, a lot of displayed objects are just exposed without proper information, i.e. "An ancient bowl" ... At least, some pieces are worth seeing. I really recommend you to visit the National Museum in Colombo, with is much more interesting and worth visiting.

Good for kids. So many details, good job

Very nice place to visit for get knowledge about maritime history

An interesting place to spend 30 - 45 minutes to learn or be reminded of Sri Lanka's past connections of and with the seas. Its in the old warehouse partly underground but has a lot of high speed fans around to make the air cooler and not humid. Anyone visiting Galle Fort this will be a good addition!

The National Maritime Museum or National Maritime Archaeology Museum in Galle, Sri Lanka is situated within Galle Fort. It was first opened to the public on 9 May 1992 and is located in a 1671 Dutch Warehouse above the Old Gate of Galle Fort.

It was opened on a Sunday, which was very convenient. Perfect to take kids with, and really worth the price.

Dutch warehouse built in 16th century(persumed) converted to a museum. Houeses artifacts found from ocean surrounding galle. Good to visit if you are into maritime history, for others may not find interesting.

You should visit the Maritime Museum once you visit galle . We can leran lot of things about the sea , and ancient fishing methods , life of fishermem ,old boats , old dutcg ships etc . Everything has been explained in boards but there is no guide .

People who are interested in Marine should get the experience of this place.Every item in the exhibition has the explanation in detailed.

This is not that much. Just little space inside. Only interested thing was a skeleton of a whale. Other than that history of Sri Lankan fishing industry some models of various types of old fishing boats etc.. Visit it If you have nothing to do.

What a difference compared to the Maritime Archeological Museum! In not a good way... The sole highlight was the whale skeleton for me. If you've never seen one, it's worth the 550 entry fee. Otherwise I would suggest to skip this museum and spend your money elsewhere. The exhibition is dated and very small. It lacks cohesion and a read thread. And the overall air humidity must be around 100%. Apparently the problem of the water in the walls was not successfully addresses during the renovations after the 2004 tsunami. From an external perspective the exhibition should become part of the Maritime Archeological Museum.

I wanted to visit but 16x entry free for foreigners seems a rip off. 2-3x would be acceptable.

I thought it was maritime museum - too expensive for such small exhibition on the vast premise. They charge insanely expensive price if you are foreigner.