Galle Fort National Maritime Archaeology Museum: Avondster shipwreck relics and Dutch warehouse beams?
What underwater artifacts from the 1659 VOC shipwreck Avondster are displayed inside the restored 1671 Dutch naval warehouse inside Galle Fort?
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3 Answers from travellers
The National Maritime Archaeology Museum in Galle Fort is housed inside the monumental 1671 Dutch East India Company (VOC) warehouse (Kerspel Pakhuis). Restored after the 2004 tsunami, the building retains its massive coral-rag masonry walls and heavy teak roof trusses. The centerpiece exhibit showcases maritime artifacts excavated from the Dutch merchant vessel Avondster, which sank in Galle Harbor in 1659: bronze ship cannons, navigation astrolabes, intact ceramic ginger jars, tin-glazed Dutch earthenware, and timber hull timbers preserved by marine silt.
The museum displays traditional indigenous maritime craft models, including outrigger sailing canoes (Oruwa) and sewn-plank boats (Madela).
Entry tickets (approx. 5 USD) are bought at the museum reception desk opposite the Old Gate bearing the 1669 VOC crest and British royal coat of arms.
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