Dutch Hospital now a shopping complex

Athapattu BANDARA

The Tourism Development Authority and the Urban Development Authority on the directive of the Defence Ministry turned the historical Dutch Hospital in Colombo Fort into a tourist attraction by transforming it into a shopping complex.

The opening ceremony was held with the participation of Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa and Defence and Urban Development Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa yesterday.

The Dutch Hospital was initially taken over by the tourism authorities to develop as a tourist destination.

The efforts were slow and the Urban Development Authority took responsibility for the renovations while safeguarding its original Dutch architectural and archaeological value.

The hospital was built during the rule of the Dutch from 1656 to 1796. It catered to medical requirements of the staff of Dutch East India Company during the colonial era.

It was built close to the harbour as it was convenient to transport patients from ships.

During the renovation process, special attention was paid not to change the original structure though it was modernized with the state-of-art-facilities.

The shopping precinct which consists of 12 stalls includes a restaurant, jewelery, textile and handicraft stalls.