Also know as St George’s Castle, Elmina Castle a UNESCO Heritage Site was built as a trading post by the Portuguese in 1482 making it the first and oldest European trading in existence in Sub-Saharan Africa. The slave castle was later captured by the Dutch in 1637 and later expanded when slaves replaced gold as the major object of commerce, with storerooms converted into dungeons. Once became the headquarters of their West Indies Company for 250 years.
The guided tour of this place takes you to the grim dungeons, punishment cells, Door of No Return and the turret room where the British imprisoned the Ashanti king, Prempeh I, for four years.
Next to the castle is a picturesque fishing harbour, and within walking distance are sites such as Fort Coenraadsburg (St. Jago), the Dutch cemetery, and the ‘Posuban’ buildings of Elmina.