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The Dutch Museum in The Pettah after Renovation-by Randima Atytgalle Source:Thuppahis Randima Atytgalle, in The Sunday Island, 28 July 2024 where the title reads “A monument to all things Dutch,” … while the photos are his work or that of Prof KD Paranavitana. The Dutch Museum in Colombo, located at Prince Street, Pettah, was closed for several years for renovation. It was reopened to the public early this month. The conservation project which is nearing completion hopes to restore this archaeologically protected monument to its former glory. More than a century since the Portuguese fortified Colombo, the city was lost to the Dutch in 1656 who remodeled the Portuguese fort. A new fortress or a citadel ringed by nine bastions, ramparts and deep moats replaced the original Portuguese-built Colombo Fort. The fort or kotuwa in the local language was known as the casteel or the castle by the Dutch. High-ranking Dutch officials lived in the casteel. Outside the Fort ...