Fort Dansborg

Fort Dansborg, located in Mayiladuthurai district's Tharangambadi (also known as Tranquebar), Tamil Nadu, is the second largest Danish fort in the world, built in 1620 after King Ragunatha Nayak of Thanjavur ceded the land to Danish Admiral Ove Gjedde. It served as the Danish East India Company's base for settlement and trade in the region during the early 17th century.

Architecturally, the fort features Danish colonial style with large halls, high ceilings, columned verandahs, and a trapezoidal layout with thick brick and laterite walls. The fort had multiple sections used as the governor’s residence, warehouse, church (now a museum), kitchen, and barracks. Unique camel hump-shaped domes supported by a central pillar highlight its design.

Positioned facing the Bay of Bengal, the fort was once surrounded by protective walls, now largely eroded by the sea. It was sold to the British in 1845, then eventually came under the care of India’s archaeology department and now operates as a museum displaying artifacts from the fort and Danish colonial India. Restoration efforts, including those by the Danish royal family, have preserved this historical monument, which reflects a tangible connection to Denmark’s colonial presence in India and the maritime trade history of the region.

The fort’s location and architecture simultaneously embody European colonial design and the local environmental context by the seaside.