Elmina Castle

Elmina became the center of Portuguese trade on the Gold Coast in gold and, later, slaves. The castle became a depot from which enslaved Africans from the interior were sold and shipped to Brazil and other Portuguese colonies. In the 16th century, the Dutch, the British, and the French took an increasing interest in the West African coast, and the Dutch attacked Elmina several times. In 1637 they successfully bombarded the castle into submission, and Elmina then became the main Dutch Gold Coast center. The Dutch greatly enlarged and strengthened the Portuguese castle in the 1770s, and they converted the chapel for use in staging slave auctions. The dungeons, where as many as 200 slaves at a time were held before shipment, can still be seen. However, in 1815, the Netherlands outlawed the slave trade. The Gold Coast, including Elmina, became a British colony in 1872.

Cape Coast Castle

Cape Coast Castle is the largest of the buildings which contains the legacy of the trans-Atlantic slave trade and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Like most ancient fortifications in Ghana, Cape Coast Castle played a significant role in the gold and slave trades. But also, two significant contributions were made here: the arrival of Christianity, and the establishment of the first formal education system through Castle Schools.