Elmina town through time

The National Archives UK - CO 1870 Elmina on Ghana's Gold Coast, photographed around 1870 and preserved in the UK National Archives' Colonial Office collection as CO 1069-30-41. The town grew around Elmina Castle, first built by Portuguese traders in the 15th century and later held by the Dutch.

The National Archives UK - CO 1870 A view of Elmina, Ghana, around 1870, catalogued in the UK National Archives' Colonial Office series as CO 1069-30-49. The settlement's harbor and fortifications made it one of the oldest European trading posts on the West African coast.

EU: Fort Sint Jago of Coenraadsburch te Elmina aan de Goudkust (1872) 1872 Fort Sint Jago, also known as Fort Coenraadsburg, overlooking Elmina on Ghana's Gold Coast, photographed around 1872. The Dutch-built hilltop fort was constructed to defend nearby Elmina Castle.

EU: Fort Sint Jago of Coenraadsburch te Elmina aan de Goudkust (nu Ghana) gebouwd in 1638 door de Nederlanders, eind 19e eeuw mogelijk van (1872) 1872 Fort Sint Jago, also known as Coenraadsburch, overlooking Elmina, Ghana. Built by the Dutch in 1638 on a hill facing Elmina Castle, it is shown here in a photograph from around 1872.

EU: Fort Sint Jago of Coenraadsburch te Elmina aan de Goudkust (1872) 1872 Fort Coenraadsburg, also known as Fort Sint Jago, overlooking Elmina on Ghana's Gold Coast, photographed in 1872. The Dutch built the fort on the hill above Elmina Castle in the 17th century to defend the harbor below.

EU: Fort Sint Jago of Coenraadsburch te Elmina, eind 19e eeuw mogelijk van (1872) 1872 Fort Sint Jago, also known as Fort Coenraadsburch, stands on the hill overlooking Elmina and was built by the Dutch to defend the larger Elmina Castle below. This late nineteenth-century view captures the fort during the era of Dutch colonial rule on Ghana's coast.

EU: links Kasteel Sint George, rechts Fort Sin Jago te Elmina aan de goudkust, eind 19e eeuw mogelijk (1872) 1872 This late 19th-century view, taken around 1872, shows St. George's Castle on the left and Fort Sint Jago on the right at Elmina on Ghana's Gold Coast; the Dutch built Fort Sint Jago in the 1660s to guard the older castle from the hill above.

EU: Kasteel Sint George te Elmina aan de goudkust (nu Ghana) Portugees kasteel van 1842 en van Nederlands hoofdkasteel eind 19e eeuw, mogelijk nog van ca. 1872 (1872) 1872 St. George's Castle at Elmina, photographed around 1872, had served as the main Dutch fortress on the Gold Coast since 1637, the same year Dutch rule over the territory came to an end.

EU: Fort Sint Jago (Fort Coenraadsburg), Elmina, view over the Benya lagoon (1872) 1872 Fort Coenraadsburg, also called Fort Sint Jago, stands on a hill above Elmina overlooking the Benya Lagoon on Ghana's coast. Built by the Dutch to defend the older Elmina Castle nearby, it is shown here in 1872, the year the Dutch Gold Coast was transferred to British control.

EU: Fort Sint Jago of Coenraadsburch te Elmina (1872) 1872 Another 1872 view of Fort Coenraadsburg, known also as Fort Sint Jago, the hilltop fortification above Elmina built to protect the adjacent Elmina Castle on the Gold Coast. The photograph captures the fort's walls and setting shortly before Dutch rule in the region ended.

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Gezicht op de heuvel St. Jago en het fort Coenraadsburg TMnr 1880 Held in the Tropenmuseum collection, this photograph shows St. Jago hill and Fort Coenraadsburg, a Dutch-built fortification overlooking the coastal town of Elmina on Ghana's Gold Coast.

The National Archives UK - CO 1896 By the time this photograph was taken in 1896, Elmina had long been under British administration, having passed from Portuguese to Dutch and finally British control over the preceding centuries.

The National Archives UK - CO 1896 This 1896 image documents Elmina on the Gold Coast, a fortified coastal town that has drawn European traders since the Portuguese first built there in the fifteenth century.

Gezicht op heuvel St. Jago met fort, Coenraadsbrug - - RCE 1953 A view of St. Jago hill and its fort above Elmina, Ghana, with the Coenraad's bridge in the foreground, photographed in 1953. The Dutch fortified the hill in the seventeenth century to help defend Elmina Castle below.

EU: St. Jago, Fort Coenraadsburg, uitzicht vanuit toegangspoort (1953) 1953 A view looking out through the entrance gate of Fort St. Jago (Fort Coenraadsburg), the Dutch fortification built on the hill above Elmina in the 17th century to guard the approach to St. George's Castle below.

EU: Fort St. Jago, Coenraadsburch, steenpoort buitenommuring 1671 (1953) 1953 The stone gateway in the outer wall of Fort Coenraadsburg, dated 1671 in the original inscription, part of the Dutch defenses erected on St. Jago hill overlooking Elmina's coastline.

EU: Fort St. Jago, Coenraadsburch, toegang en toren (1953) 1953 The access route and watchtower of Fort Coenraadsburg on St. Jago hill, one of the fortified points the Dutch West India Company built to protect Elmina, now preserved as part of Ghana's UNESCO-listed forts and castles.

EU: Gezicht op heuvel St. Jago met fort, Coenraadsbrug (1953) 1953 St. Jago hill rises above Elmina with the outline of its fort visible near Coenraadsburg, a site the Dutch fortified to command the high ground over the older coastal castle.

The National Archives UK - CO 1957 From the CO 1069 series of official photographs at the UK National Archives, this 1957 image was taken in Elmina, a coastal town on Ghana's Gold Coast historically linked to its fortified trading castle.

Fort St. George, gezien vanuit het oosten - - RCE 1966 Fort St. George, also known as São Jorge da Mina, in Elmina, seen from the east in 1966. Portuguese traders built the castle in 1482, making it one of the oldest European structures in sub-Saharan Africa.

Groot oud huis, bij marktplaats - - RCE 1966 An old house near the market square in Elmina, photographed in 1966, in the historic town that grew up around the Portuguese-built castle on the Gold Coast.

Liverpoolstreet, postkantoor, voorgevel - - RCE 1966 The post office facade on Liverpool Street in Elmina, photographed in 1966, among the row of colonial-era commercial buildings that still line the street today.

Liverpoolstreet, woonhuis - - RCE 1966 A residence on Liverpool Street in Elmina, photographed in 1966, one of the colonial-era buildings lining the town's commercial streets near the old harbor.

Liverpoolstreet en St. George, vanaf St. Jago - - RCE 1966 Liverpool Street and Fort St. George in Elmina, viewed from St. Jago hill in 1966, showing the layout of the old town below the fortified height overlooking the coast.

St. George, gezien vanaf heuvel St. Jago - - RCE 1966 Fort St. George seen from St. Jago hill above Elmina, photographed in 1966, illustrating the castle's position guarding the entrance to the town's harbor.

Woon- en winkelpand aan Buitenrustlane - - RCE 1966 A combined residence and shop on Buitenrustlane in Elmina, photographed in 1966, in a district lined with buildings dating from the town's long history as a trading post.

EU: Fort St. Jago, Coenraadsburch, hoekbastion (1966) 1966 A corner bastion of Fort Coenraadsburg, built to give defenders a clear line of fire along the fort's walls above Elmina, photographed here more than a decade after the earlier images in this collection.

EU: Fort St. Jago, Coenraadsburch, benedenweergang (1966) 1966 The lower rampart of Fort Coenraadsburg on St. Jago hill, from where Dutch garrisons once kept watch over the harbor and castle at Elmina.

EU: Fort St. Jago, Coenraadsburch, detail voorpoort (1966) 1966 A close view of the front gate structure of Fort Coenraadsburg, showing the stonework of its main entrance on the hill above Elmina, one of several details recorded in this 1966 survey.

EU: Fort St. Jago, Coenraadsburch, ingang (1966) 1966 The entrance to Fort Coenraadsburg, the hilltop fort built to defend the Dutch trading post at Elmina and still standing above the older St. George's Castle.

EU: Fort St. Jago, Coenraadsburch, bastion (1966) 1966 One of the bastions of Fort Coenraadsburg, part of the fortified perimeter the Dutch raised on St. Jago hill to secure their position at Elmina.

EU: Liverpoolstreet en St. George, vanaf St. Jago (1966) 1966 Liverpool Street and the walls of St. George's Castle seen from the heights of St. Jago, illustrating how the hilltop fort commanded a view over the older Portuguese-built castle and the town below.

EU: Fort St. Jago, Coenraadsburch, voorzijde met toegang (1966) 1966 The front of Fort Coenraadsburg with its entrance visible, one of several vantage points from which the hilltop fortification above Elmina was documented in the 1960s.

EU: Kasteel St. George, gezicht op Fort St. Jago (1966) 1966 St. George's Castle, Elmina's Portuguese-built stronghold from 1482, seen from Fort St. Jago on the hill opposite, showing the strategic relationship between the two fortifications.

EU: St. George, gezien vanaf heuvel St. Jago (1966) 1966 St. George's Castle viewed from the heights of St. Jago hill, the position the Dutch later fortified with Coenraadsburg to watch over the older castle and harbor at Elmina.

EU: Kasteel St. George, gracht (1966) 1966 The moat of St. George's Castle in Elmina, Ghana, is shown in this 1966 photograph; the fortress was built by the Portuguese in 1482 and later held by the Dutch.

EU: Kust bij St. George (1966) 1966 This 1966 photograph looks along the coastline near St. George's Castle in Elmina, one of the oldest European-built structures in sub-Saharan Africa.

EU: Kasteel St. George, binnenplaats (1966) 1966 The inner courtyard of St. George's Castle, Elmina, appears in this 1966 image, showing part of the fortification used for centuries in the Atlantic trade.

Company’s House, voorzijde - - RCE 1969 The front of Company's House in Elmina, photographed in 1969, one of the trading buildings associated with the town's long history as a European commercial post on the Gold Coast.

Rooms-Katholieke kerk, voorzijde - - RCE 1969 The facade of a Roman Catholic church in Elmina, photographed in 1969, reflecting the town's long history of European missionary presence on the Gold Coast.

Stadhuis Lime Street, voorgevel - - RCE 1969 The town hall, or Stadhuis, on Lime Street in Elmina, photographed in 1969, a reminder of the Dutch colonial administration once based in the town before it passed to British control in 1872.

EU: Kasteel St. George, kerkzaal (1969) 1969 This 1969 photograph shows the church hall inside St. George's Castle at Elmina, the fortress built by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century and later held by the Dutch and British.

EU: Stadsgezicht met fort op de achtergrond en kanon van Elmina Castle op de voorgrond (2000) 2000 Elmina Castle's cannon sits in the foreground of this 2000 photograph of the town of Elmina, Ghana, with the fort visible behind it. Built by the Portuguese in 1482, it is among the oldest European structures in sub-Saharan Africa.

Overzicht boten in de haven met fort op de achtergrond - Elmina - - RCE 2000 Fishing boats in the harbor at Elmina, Ghana, in 2000, with the town's historic fort visible in the background.

EU: Stadsgezicht met fort op de achtergrond en kanon van Elmina Castle op de voorgrond, Ghana reis Loek Tangel (2000) 2000 Photographed at Elmina during the same 2000 journey, this image frames a cannon at Elmina Castle in the foreground, with the town and fort visible behind it. Elmina Castle, built by the Portuguese in 1482, ranks among the oldest European structures in sub-Saharan Africa.

EU: Stadsgezicht met fort op de achtergrond en kanon van Elmina Castle op de voorgrond 2000 Around 2000, this photograph was taken in Elmina, Ghana, showing the town with its fort in the background and a cannon positioned in the foreground, evoking the site's long fortified history.

EU: Elmina Castle, cityscape with fort in background and cannon in foreground (2000) 2000 This photograph, taken around 2000 in Elmina, Ghana, shows the town and Elmina Castle in the background with a cannon in the foreground, a view typical of the fortified coastal town.

EU: Elmina, Bridge Street, colonial building and street market (2000) 2000 This photograph, taken around 2000, shows Bridge Street in Elmina, Ghana, lined by a colonial-era building and a street market, a typical scene in the historic port town.

EU: Elmina Castle, drawbridge entrance with palm trees (2000) 2000 Around 2000, this image shows the drawbridge entrance to Elmina Castle in Ghana, framed by palm trees, marking the approach to one of the oldest European-built structures in sub-Saharan Africa.

EU: Elmina, old watchtower near school (2000) 2000 This photograph, taken around 2000, shows an old watchtower near a school in Elmina, Ghana, a reminder of the town's fortified past amid its present-day use.

EU: Elmina, Dutch Cemetery Road street view with Fort St. Jago on hill (2000) 2000 Around 2000, this photograph shows Dutch Cemetery Road in Elmina, Ghana, with Fort St. Jago visible on the hill beyond, a fort built by the Dutch to overlook Elmina Castle below.

EU: Elmina, Liverpool Road coastal street with colonial house (2000) 2000 This photograph, taken around 2000, shows Liverpool Road, a coastal street in Elmina, Ghana, lined with a colonial-era house near the town's historic waterfront.

EU: Elmina, Bantuma Road with pink colonial house (2000) 2000 Around 2000, this image shows Bantuma Road in Elmina, Ghana, featuring a colonial-era house painted pink, one of many such buildings scattered through the old town.

EU: Zicht op haven vanaf Elmina Castle (2002) 2002 The harbor at Elmina, Ghana, viewed from the castle walls in 2002.

Zicht op haven met varkens op de voorgrond - Elmina - - RCE 2002 Pigs forage near the harbor in this 2002 photograph of Elmina, Ghana, a fishing town that grew up around the historic Elmina Castle on the country's coast.

Zicht op markt met haven op de achtergrond - Elmina - - RCE 2002 A market by the harbor is pictured in this 2002 photograph of Elmina, Ghana, where trade has centered on the waterfront since the town's founding by Portuguese traders in the 15th century.

Zicht op vissersboten in de haven - Elmina - - RCE 2002 Fishing boats crowd the harbor in this 2002 photograph of Elmina, one of Ghana's oldest coastal settlements and still home to an active fishing fleet.

EU: Stadsgezicht met haven vanaf Elmina Castle (2) (2002) 2002 A view of the harbor town of Elmina, Ghana, seen from Elmina Castle in 2002. Built by the Portuguese in 1482, the castle is the oldest European structure in sub-Saharan Africa and later served as a major hub in the Atlantic slave trade under Dutch control.

EU: Stadsgezicht met haven vanaf Elmina Castle (2002) 1 2002 The town and harbor of Elmina, Ghana, seen from Elmina Castle in 2002. Built by the Portuguese in 1482 as Sao Jorge da Mina, it is the oldest European-built structure in sub-Saharan Africa and later passed to Dutch and British control.

EU: Stadsgezicht met haven vanaf Elmina Castle (2002) 2 2002 Another 2002 view of Elmina's harbor and town, photographed from the ramparts of Elmina Castle on Ghana's coast.

EU: Stadsgezicht met haven vanaf Elmina Castle - variant (2002) 2002 The harbor and townscape of Elmina, Ghana, viewed from Elmina Castle in 2002. Built by the Portuguese in 1482, the castle is the oldest European structure south of the Sahara and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Zicht op vissersboten in de haven - Elmina - - RCE 2002 Catalogued as RCE image 20374855, this 2002 photograph shows fishing boats in the harbor at Elmina, a Ghanaian coastal town whose fishing fleet has worked the same waters for generations.

EU: Overzicht met voorzijde, vanaf Elmina Castle, Ghana reis Loek Tangel (2002) 2002 Photographed from Elmina Castle in 2002, this image shows the front of the fort with the town of Elmina beyond, on Ghana's Gulf of Guinea coastline.

EU: Stadsgezicht met haven vanaf Elmina Castle, Ghana reis Loek Tangel (2002) A 2002 The first of two related frames from a 2002 series, this photograph looks out from Elmina Castle over the town's harbor, where fishing canoes have long been based.

EU: Stadsgezicht met haven vanaf Elmina Castle, Ghana reis Loek Tangel (2002) B 2002 This second frame of the same pair again looks out from Elmina Castle over the harbor at Elmina, captured during the same 2002 visit.

EU: Zicht op haven vanaf Elmina Castle, Ghana reis Loek Tangel (2002) 2002 Rounding out the 2002 series, this photograph offers a further view of Elmina's harbor and its fishing fleet as seen from the castle walls.

Stadsgezicht vanaf dak - Elmina - - RCE 2002 A townscape view over Elmina taken from a rooftop, looking out across the coastal town built up around its historic Portuguese and Dutch fortifications.

Vis verkoop op de markt - Elmina - - RCE 2002 Fish being sold at the market in Elmina, a scene from the fishing harbor town on Ghana's coast that has depended on its port since the era of the old European trading forts.

EU: Zicht op haven vanaf Elmina Castle 2002 This photograph, taken around 2002, looks out over the harbour of Elmina, Ghana, as seen from Elmina Castle, with fishing boats visible along the water.

EU: Elmina, view of Fort St. Jago from Elmina Castle (2002) 2002 Around 2002, this image shows Fort St. Jago as seen from Elmina Castle in Ghana, the two fortifications having long overlooked one another across the town.

EU: Elmina town view with harbour from Elmina Castle, buildings on hillside (2002) 2002 This photograph, taken around 2002 from Elmina Castle, shows the town of Elmina, Ghana, with its harbour and buildings rising along the hillside behind the waterfront.

EU: View of the harbour from Elmina Castle (2002) 2002 Around 2002, this photograph shows the harbour at Elmina, Ghana, viewed from the ramparts of Elmina Castle, with boats gathered along the shore below.

EU: Elmina town view with harbour and fishing boats from the castle, wide panorama (2002) 2002 This wide panorama, taken around 2002 from Elmina Castle, shows the town of Elmina, Ghana, together with its harbour and fishing boats spread along the coastline.

St Georges 4 2005 St. George's Castle in Elmina, Ghana, photographed in 2005, one of the oldest European-built structures in sub-Saharan Africa, originally built by the Portuguese in the fifteenth century.

Panorama of Elmina from Fort St. Jago - with St. GeorgeS Castle Visible - Elmina - Ghana 2010 A 2010 panorama from Fort St. Jago shows Elmina, Ghana, with St. George's Castle visible along the shoreline. The castle, built by the Portuguese in 1482, is among the oldest European buildings standing outside Europe.

Boats at Elmina Port 2013 Fishing boats at the harbor in Elmina, a coastal town in Ghana's Central Region, photographed in 2013. Elmina has been a fishing port since long before European traders arrived on this stretch of coast.

Boat Market, Elmina, Ghana 2013 A boat market in Elmina, Ghana, photographed in 2013. The fishing town is best known for Elmina Castle, one of the oldest European-built structures in sub-Saharan Africa, founded by the Portuguese in 1482.

Beach at Elmina, Ghana 2013 The beach at Elmina, Ghana, photographed in 2013. The town is home to Elmina Castle, built by Portuguese traders in 1482 and among the oldest European-built structures in sub-Saharan Africa.

Akyemfo Shrine No. 2 (Elmina, Ghana 2017) 2017 The Akyemfo Shrine in Elmina, Ghana, photographed in 2017. Elmina grew up around the Portuguese-built Elmina Castle, the oldest surviving European structure in sub-Saharan Africa, and the town retains traditional shrines alongside its colonial-era architecture.

Elmina town 2019 Elmina, on Ghana's central coast, has remained a working fishing town for centuries, its harbor still filled with traditional wooden canoes. This photograph was taken in 2019.

Edina, Ghana 2023 A view of Elmina, Ghana, photographed in 2023. The coastal town on the Gulf of Guinea is known for Elmina Castle, built by Portuguese traders in 1482 and among the oldest European-built structures in sub-Saharan Africa.

Elmina Fishing Harbour Project 2023 The fishing harbour at Elmina, a coastal town in Ghana's Central Region whose economy has long centered on artisanal canoe fishing.