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Photo: via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
The original building was made out of earth by the Dutch in order to launch attacks on the Portuguese-owned Elmina Castle, and in the 1660s, the Dutch replaced that structure with this fort. It was used strictly as a military fort for the purpose of protecting Elmina Castle after the Dutch successfully took it from Portugal. In the 19th century it became a prison and later a hospital. Along with Elmina Castle, Fort St. Jago is one of the 11 sites that make up the World Heritage Site "Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions".
Fort Coenraadsburg or Conraadsburg, also Fort São Tiago da Mina, is a small fort situated opposite the Elmina Castle in the Central region of Ghana, built around a Portuguese chapel for Saint Jago, to protect Fort Elmina from attacks. Owing to its historical importance and testimony to the Atlantic slave trade, Fort Conraadsburg was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979 along with several other castles in Ghana.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Part of the Coconut Grove group, the Bridge House occupies a large brick building in the harbour of Elmine. From the courtyard, you are in talking distance of the fishermen preparing for or returning from fishing. Rooms are spacious and clean. The restaurant is fine, but the food is nothing special. The location of the Bridge House is superb, as it is near both Elmina Castle as Fort St. Jago, and only a short walk from the Dutch Cemetery.
Built in 1482, Elmina Castle is the oldest European structure in Africa and incidentally the oldest slave fort. Elmina was a notorious slave fort used for moving slaves onto ships bound for other parts of the world. Although today it is a tourist attraction, it was once used as a prison by the Ghanaian government. It is quite a sobering experience and can be emotional at times (particularly the "room of no return", the cell for rebellious slaves, and the female slave dungeons, which still smell of bodily fluids). There is an admission fee as well as a minimal fee (a few pesewas, about 50 cents) for taking pictures. The money you spend is well worth it. Besides a guided tour with knowledgeable, friendly tour guides who are open to questions, there is an on-site restaurant, bookstore, gift shop, and a small museum inside the renovated Portuguese church within the castle.