Thursday, 9th October 2014
By Lakshman I.Keerthisinghe -LLB, LLM.MPhil, Attorney-at-Law
In every age the good old days was a myth. No one ever thought they were good at the time. For every age has consisted of crises intolerable to the people who lived through them
- Brooks Atkinson - Once around the Sun
It was recently reported that the Galle Dutch Hospital has been transformed in to an attractive shopping mall just like the one in Colombo Fort. It is the ideal place to spend time and buy souvenirs. It would be a great place to idle and enjoy the true Sri Lankan spirit. This market place has eight shops on the ground floor and ten on the first. According to the UDA these shops are designed to accommodate shops selling jewellery, garments and many other souvenirs that tourists love to visit. It has several classy restaurants serving local and foreign food varieties.
The Urban Development Authority took over the restoration of the Dutch Hospital building as a main attraction to tourists. The UDA has taken the responsibility of the entire urban development of the Galle city. Restoring historic places is one important factor in this process.
Galle has always been a great attraction of local and foreign tourists since ancient times. This city of great historic value is a compulsory visiting point for all travellers and during each tourist season it becomes one of the most crowded tourist locations. At the centre of the Dutch Hospital arcade is the ‘Sugar Bistro & Wine Bar’ where a legendary sugar burger and cup of delicious coffee could be had. The chalk board in this breezy, cool new fort restaurant is full of delicious dishes to choose from, including plenty of stuff for vegetarians and delectable deserts that are impossible to resist but in the case of all the deserts at Sugar, including the orgasmic apple pie laced with spices and the cream, the reality is that they are all in a word superb.
Impressive colonial site
The original hospital was built in the 17th century by the Dutch and was in fact three times larger than the existing building, which now stands on the same site. After the deterioration of the site, when the British took over the occupation of the South coast of Sri Lanka, around 1850 they developed the structure into a military barracks.
With a variety of restaurants and cafes that cater to every taste and shops that sell an incredible range of products, it has already, in less than a couple of weeks since the President opened it, become a place to visit within the Galle Fort. For the last few years the grand building has lain empty along Hospital Street, its ghosts rattling around in the empty shell, resembling a sleeping giant that no one quite wants to wake up.
The Galle Dutch Hospital, was built with the efforts of the tenth battalion of the Engineering Services Regiment, under the instructions of the Project Management Department of the UDA. This exceptional place which is now fully constructed will be opened to the public soon, said authorities of the UDA. Always keeping in mind the architectural importance of such a building and conscious of the heritage of the Fort, the UDA developed a plan that maintained the building’s historical importance but also allowed them to create something a little bit more modern in terms of dividing the interior rooms into a series of shops and restaurants. The Dutch Hospital within a week of being opened by the President is now a bustling eating hub, including ‘The Sri Lankan Hammock café’ with excellent Sri Lankan cuisine and gorgeous orange swinging hammock seats that are roped up along the balcony to truly enjoy the setting sun over the harbour.
The shop owners and restaurateurs who have been lucky enough to secure a coveted space in the Dutch Hospital recognise that it is a strategic move, as more and more visitors will start to come back to Sri Lanka and will now include Galle Fort on their bucket shop. Overlooking the historic Law Court Square and the harbour, with the magical veranda in front of the shops visitors can see fishing boats coming and going. On a Poya full moon day nothing could be more magical than the shade of the moon reflecting off the water evoking golden memories of the bygone era. This wonderful place, overlooking the historic rampart coral walls and the glittering Indian Ocean provides for the perfect backdrop to this impressive colonial site.
Over a period of time and change, Galle still retains - as few other towns in Sri Lanka - an atmosphere of the past. The Galle Fort which is the main attraction of the city is a well preserved monument with the efforts of the Archaeological Department. The heritage value of the Fort has been recognised by the UNESCO and the site has been inscribed as a cultural heritage - UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Fort has a colourful history, and today has a multi-ethnic and multi-religious population. Within the Fort itself there are several preserved ancient buildings and few others remain in a dilapidated situation. Among these buildings the old Dutch Hospital remained to be unique that needed special attention. Such a place in the middle of Galle Fort would definitely bring uniqueness to this historical Galle city.
Although the Galle Fort is famous as a Dutch Fort, the construction of the Fort was started by the Portuguese, according to historical records. Actually, Galle was considered as the place where Portuguese first arrived to Sri Lanka in 1505. All these factors are attractions to foreign tourists. Galle is the best example of a fortified city built by the Portuguese in South and Southeast Asia, showing the interaction between Portuguese architectural styles and native traditions. The city was extensively fortified by the Dutch during the seventeenth century. The Galle Fort is a world heritage site and believed to be the largest remaining fortress in Asia built by European occupiers. Added to all this importance, Galle is today linked with the country’s capital by a new expressway making it further easy for tourists to visit the city in a very short period of time. The new access way, opened in 2012, would definitely bring in more tourists to Galle, as it cuts down a huge part of the time consumed in travelling.
Galle Dutch Hospital shopping mall
Galle, withstood the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami which damaged parts of the coastal area. Yet these historical monuments stood intact against the natural calamity. That itself is a wonder, making Galle a place of historical, archaeological and architectural significance. The Galle Dutch Hospital would definitely attract all travellers just like Galle attracted world travellers throughout the history. In the good old days, (see the quote at the outset of this piece, Ceylonese in general, who lived at that time may not have considered those days under the colonial rulers as good) the life in the Fort was extremely leisurely and peaceful, the majority community Muslims along with the Sinhalese, Tamils and Burghers living in harmony as one brotherhood.
The book Those long afternoons (1989) written by Evelyn Frederick Charles Ludowyk, who was the first Professor of English of the University of Ceylon describes his childhood days in the Galle Fort in colonial Ceylon. In the early 1800s, Galle Fort was home to the Dutch Burghers, a fortified and garrisoned place. Since its new-found exposure the market value of properties went up, there was a demand by foreigners to buy property therein. In Fort most of the house verandahs were now eateries and showrooms selling jewellery, antiques and other items to attract foreign tourists.
‘Must stop’ tourist destination
Contemplating the recent developments, some of its advantages were that there was much aid coming from the Dutch Government to maintain this World Heritage Site. It had become a much sought after city for holiday bungalow investments which had in return solved the financial problems of many residents who sold their properties at unbelievable prices. It had developed as a ‘must stop’ tourist destination for high spending locals and foreign tourists.
Residents who had rented out their premises for businesses as well as for accommodation were earning substantial incomes and weekends saw an influx of tourists flowing through the streets. Among the disadvantages were the influence of foreign entities in the social and cultural lifestyle. In an otherwise conservative setting, their free lifestyle, minimalistic dress code, open same-sex relationships, public consumption of alcohol etc. had caused some uneasiness among the families who opted to stay back in the Fort.
Commenting on the high demand for property in the Fort, it is to be noted that real estate prices in the Galle Fort attract a premium compared to most parts of Sri Lanka due to the limited supply of property and their significant commercial potential.
There are only approximately four hundred houses in the Fort with practically no bare land available to construct additional houses so that the demand for property in the Fort was high. With tourist arrivals due to nearly treble to 2.5M in 2016, there would be a steady stream of foreigners keen to buy property in the Galle Fort which would keep the level of demand high for the foreseeable future. The demand itself stemmed from that fact that property in the Fort had great commercial potential. For example, to renovate a property of nine perches or more to a high standard in a colonial style complete with swimming pool could result in renting it to tourists for 65,000 LKR per night with an occupancy rate of at least 50 per cent.
Additionally a good quality restaurant, shop, hotel, or guesthouse which catered to the tourist market would be doing premium business from day one of opening. Out of about 400 houses, approximately 45 (11.25 per cent) are under foreign ownership. Foreign buyers tend to be American, Australian and British. Most are high-net-worth individuals living in Singapore or Hong Kong working for major global banks. Sri Lanka’s proximity to Singapore and Hong Kong, with cheap regular flights, makes it a popular holiday destination for them.
Typically, even after just one or two visits, a foreign buyer is captivated by the Galle Fort and buys a property here which they would then renovate over a twelve to eighteen month period into a colonial style villa. They would then use the property as a holiday home as well as enjoying healthy rental income and capital appreciation.
In conclusion, it must be stated that the laudable efforts of the UDA under the guidance of Defence and Urban Development Secretary, Gotabhaya Rajapaksa to restore the Dutch Hospital in Galle to a beautiful shopping arcade would undoubtedly increase the tourist influx to the southern capital city of Sri Lanka.
From: Daily News. http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=features/galle-dutch-hospital-extraordinary-transformation
