Galle Beach through time

Galle 1867–2020 9 photos of this spot

9 photographs taken at the same spot in Galle, spanning 1867–2020 — 6 of them from before 1980. Line them up and watch the place change.

The harbor at Galle, a fortified port on the southern coast of British Ceylon, photographed in 1867 when the town still served as a principal stop for steamships crossing between Europe and Asia before Colombo's harbor eclipsed it.

Haven van Point de Galle, Ceylon, RP-F 1867 The harbor at Galle, a fortified port on the southern coast of British Ceylon, photographed in 1867 when the town still served as a principal stop for steamships crossing between Europe and Asia before Colombo's harbor eclipsed it.

Straat in de tropen, Galle Sri Lanka 1885 A tropical street scene in Galle from 1885, when the fortified harbor town remained an important waypoint on Ceylon's southern coast for ships travelling between Europe and Asia.

EU: Uitzicht over Galle (1895) 1895 An 1895 photograph looking out over Galle, a harbor town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka known for its fortified old town built during the Dutch colonial period.

EU: Strand met palmbomen en boten, Galle (1895) 1895 Palm trees line the shore in this 1895 beach scene from Galle, Sri Lanka, with small boats drawn up along the sand.

Strand met palmbomen en boten, Galle 1905 A beach at Galle lined with palm trees and fishing boats, photographed in 1905 on Ceylon's southern coast, near the fortified old town that had drawn traders for centuries.

Uitzicht over Galle 1905 An overview of Galle from 1905, showing the fortified town built up around its natural harbor on the island's south coast, decades after it had been surpassed by Colombo as Ceylon's chief port.

Galle (Sri Lanka 2008) 2008 A view within Galle, Sri Lanka, in 2008. The fortified old town of Galle was built up by the Portuguese and later the Dutch in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Galle Beach 2011 The beach at Galle, Sri Lanka, photographed in 2011, near the historic fortified old town on the island's southern coast.

SL Galle Fort 2020 A further view inside Galle Fort in Galle, Sri Lanka, showing the Dutch-built ramparts and streets of the historic fortified town. The photograph was taken in 2020.