Osu Castle

{{short description|Colonial fort in Ghana}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{for-multi|Ozu Castle in Japan|Ōzu Castle|the palace in Denmark sometimes known as Christiansborg Castle|Christiansborg Palace}}
{{Infobox military installation
|name = Osu Castle
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|partof = [[Danish Gold Coast]]
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|image = Christiansborg Castle (also known as Osu Castle) 2 (cropped).jpg
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|caption = Osu Castle
|map_type = Ghana
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|built = {{Start date and age|1661}}
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|occupants = Denmark-Norway (1660)
|battles =
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| embedded = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
| child         = yes
| part_of       = [[List of castles in Ghana|Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions]]
| criteria      = {{UNESCO WHS type|(vi)}}(vi)
| year          = 1979
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[[File:Osu Castle.jpg|thumb|A view of the Osu Castle from the lighthouse in Jamestown, Accra]]
'''Osu Castle''' (also known as '''Fort Christiansborg''' or the '''Castle''') is a castle located in [[Osu, Accra|Osu]], [[Ghana]], on the coast of the [[Gulf of Guinea]] in Africa. 

A substantial [[fort]] was built by [[Denmark-Norway]] in the 1660s; thereafter, the fort changed ownership between Denmark-Norway, [[Portugal]], the [[Akwamu]], [[United Kingdom|Britain]], and finally post-Independence [[Ghana]]. Under Denmark–Norway control it was the capital of the [[Danish Gold Coast]], and held and dispatched enslaved people overseas.

In 1902, Osu Castle became the [[seat of government]] in Ghana but this has now moved to [[Golden Jubilee House]].<ref name="GH Castle">[http://www.ghanacastle.gov.gh ghanacastle.gov.gh] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403180534/http://www.ghanacastle.gov.gh/ |date=3 April 2007 }}</ref>

Because of its testimony to European colonial influence in West Africa and the [[Atlantic slave trade]], the castle was inscribed on the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage List]] in 1979 along with several [[List of castles in Ghana|other castles and forts in Ghana]].<ref name = "unesco">{{cite web |url = https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/34 |title = Forts and Castles, Volta, Greater Accra, Central and Western Regions |website = UNESCO World Heritage Convention |access-date = 9 October 2022}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Christiansborg Castle2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|A contemporary drawing of the Dano-Norwegian fort, ''Fort Christiansborg'', now Osu Castle. The outpost to the right is ''Fort Prøvestenen''.]]

The area was first occupied in 1550 by the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]], though in the 17th century Portuguese influence diminished. The area came under the control of [[Swedish Empire|Sweden]] in the 1650s, led by the German trader [[Hendrik Carloff|Heinrich Carloff]]. In 1652, he was given permission to build a small fortified lodge by the King of Accra, with whom he had previously done business. In 1660, control passed to the [[Dutch Empire|Netherlands]] but it was soon lost to [[Denmark-Norway]]. In 1657, Carloff had again traveled to [[Africa]], this time representing Denmark-Norway. He aimed to conquer the forts he had previously established, which he found easy at Osu.<ref>van Dantzig and Priddy, pp. 18–21.</ref> In its early life, the castle was primarily used in the [[gold]] and [[ivory trade]], but under Dano-Norwegian control it increasingly dealt with [[African slave trade|slaves]].<ref name = "GH Castle" />

[[File:Fort Christiansborg - entrance in 2017.jpg|thumb|Entrance to Fort Christiansborg after it was opened to the public in 2017.]]
Osu Castle was located close to two other forts. [[Fort Crèvecoeur (Ghana)|Fort Crèvecœur]] was controlled by the Dutch and [[Fort James (Ghana)|Fort James]] by the British. The settlement at Osu was too small to store sufficient goods to compete with the others. Consequently, Denmark-Norway purchased adjoining land and expanded the building, naming it Fort Christiansborg after the reigning Danish King [[Christian V of Denmark|Christian V]].<ref name = "GH Castle" /> This is not to be confused with the slightly later [[Christiansborg Palace (1st)|royal palace in Copenhagen]]. Denmark-Norway would occupy the fort for most of the next 200 years, with some interruptions, and for much of that time it served as the capital of the [[Danish Gold Coast|Gold Coast of Denmark-Norway]].<ref name = "World Statesmen">[http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Ghana.html#Danish%20Gold%20Coast worldstatesmen.org "Ghana"] World Statesmen.org.]</ref>

In 1679 or 1680, the fort's [[Greeks|Greek]] assistant commander incited a [[mutiny]] to murder the commander. Shortly after that, a Portuguese ship commanded by Julião de Campos Barreto visited the fort and agreed to purchase it. The fort was named Fort [[Francis Xavier|São Francisco Xavier]] after the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] missionary [[Francis Xavier]]. The Portuguese built a [[chapel]] and raised the [[bastion]]s by three feet. The fort was abandoned on 29 August 1682 after the [[garrison]] mutinied and it became clear that [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] traders could not compete with the other Gold Coast powers. Danish forces returned in February 1683 after purchasing the fort back from the Portuguese. In 1685, Fort Christiansborg became the capital of the Gold Coast of Denmark-Norway, taking over from [[Fort Frederiksborg]].<ref name = "Dantzig 22">van Dantzig and Priddy, p. 22.</ref>

The [[Akwamu]] ethnic group occupied the fort in 1693 after overpowering the occupants (who were reduced by death and disease) while disguised as merchants. Assameni, the Akwamu leader, occupied the fort for a year, trading with merchants from many nations. In 1694, Assameni sold the fort back to Denmark-Norway for 50 [[mark (weight)|marks]] of gold (400 troy ounces, worth £200,000 to £250,000 in 2008) but retained the keys, which are still in the ethnic group's possession to this day.<ref name = "GH Castle" /><ref name = "Dantzig 22" /> The early 18th century was not kind to the fort, and in 1722 the English reported it to be in disrepair. Extensions were made later that century, however, and structural improvements were made in 1824. The additional store rooms, garrison quarters, platforms, bastions and houses resulted in the castle being four times the size of the original fort.<ref name = "GH Castle" /><ref name = "Dantzig 24">van Dantzig and Priddy, p. 24.</ref> In the 1770s, the Danes at Osu became involved in a conflict with Dutch-controlled Accra.<ref>van Dantzig and Priddy, p. 39.</ref>

In 1850, the British bought all of Denmark's [[Gold Coast (British colony)|Gold Coast]] possessions for [[pound sterling|£]]10,000 (between £850,000 and £1.5m in 2007), including Fort Christiansborg. Denmark had been considering selling these outposts for some time. After the slave trade had been [[abolitionism|abolished]] they were expensive to run and brought little benefit. [[United Kingdom|Britain]] experienced the same problems, but was keen to prevent illegal slave trading and [[French colonial empires|France]] or [[Belgian colonial empire|Belgium]] strengthening in the area.<ref>van Dantzig and Priddy, p. 49.</ref> An earthquake  in 1862 destroyed most of the upper floors, which were rebuilt in wood. Later that century, the castle became the seat of the colonial government. It was abandoned by the British colonial powers from 1890 to 1901. Within this period, it was used as a constabulary mess and later a [[psychiatric asylum]]. It became the seat of government again in 1902.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ghanamuseums.org/forts/fort-christianburg.php|title=Ghana Museums & Monuments Board|website=www.ghanamuseums.org|access-date=2019-10-22}}</ref> In 1950, the wooden upper floors were rebuilt according to the original Danish plans.<ref name = "GH Castle" /> In 1957, when Ghana became independent, with [[Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom|Queen Elizabeth II]] as head of state, the fort became Government House, the residence of the [[Governor-General]]. When Ghana became a [[republic]] in 1960, it became the residence of Ghana's first president, [[Kwame Nkrumah]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://shoutghana.com/tourism/castles/osucastle.asp|title=shoutghana.com|access-date=7 February 2007}}</ref>

In 2005, there was debate over whether Osu Castle should be replaced as the seat of government. President [[John Kufuor]] argued that his government should not sit at the castle due to its previous association with slavery and also because its facilities were inadequate. [[National Democratic Congress (Ghana)|National Democratic Congress]] MPs, however, argued that the $50&nbsp;m that a new presidential palace would cost would be better spent elsewhere.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4532672.stm "Ghana in presidential palace row"], [[BBC News]], 15 December 2005.</ref>

==Features==
[[File:Christiansborg Castle on stamp of Gold Coast.jpg|thumbnail|right|A 1948 stamp of The Gold Coast (modern Ghana) showing the castle under its former name.]]
Osu Castle is no longer the seat of government. The seat of government is now the [[Jubilee House]]. This name is now gazetted after being changed from its former name, [[The Flagstaff House]]. Many international dignitaries have visited the castle while in the region, including U.S. Presidents [[Richard Nixon]], [[Bill Clinton]], [[Barack Obama]] and German Chancellor [[Gerhard Schröder]]. Additional rooms were built in order to accommodate [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]]'s visit in 1961, one year after Ghana became a republic.<ref name = "GH Castle" />

The present castle is made up of various extensions to the original and is thus in an unorthodox shape. It has many facilities for the use of employees, including a clinic, café, shopping centre and a post office. It also still accommodates a permanent garrison. The extensive gardens feature a wide variety of plants, both local and imported, and employ 30 people. They are used for the president's outdoor receptions and parties.<ref name = "GH Castle" /> The Castle is closed to walk-in visitors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ghanamuseums.org/forts/fort-christianburg.php|title=Ghana Museums & Monuments Board|website=www.ghanamuseums.org|access-date=2019-10-19}}</ref>{{Portal|Africa|Norway|Denmark}}

== Controversies ==
In 2007, the opposition [[Member of parliament|Ministers of Parliament]] (MPs) in [[Ghana]] (the [[National Democratic Congress (Ghana)|National Democratic Congress, NDC]]) stormed out of a parliamentary debate on whether to take out a $50m loan to build a new presidential palace. MPs from [[President (government title)|President]] [[John Agyekum Kufuor]]'s [[New Patriotic Party]] voted unanimously in favour of taking the loan from [[India]]. They argued that the president should not be based in Osu Castle, where slaves used to be kept. 

The opposition [[National Democratic Congress (Ghana)|National Democratic Congress]] said the money would be better spent such as improving the [[economy]] and helping promote the [[Better Ghana Agenda]]. This led to the then general secretary to the opposition [[National Democratic Congress (Ghana)|NDC]] to describe the new [[Jubilee House|Flagstaff House]] as a "hen coop only fit for rearing chicken". The old [[The Flagstaff House|Flagstaff House]] used by Ghana's first president as his residence is being renovated into a museum, with the grounds on which it stands being built up as an ultra-modern office complex and residence for the president and vice-president of Ghana as well as their staff.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Osu Castle 3.jpg|alt=|Osu Castle, also known as Fort Christiansborg, is a castle located in Accra.
File:Osu Castle 1.jpg|alt=|Osu Castle, also known as Fort Christiansborg, is a castle located in Accra.
File:Osu Castle 2.jpg|alt=|Osu Castle, also known as Fort Christiansborg, is a castle located in Accra.
File:The Osu Castle.jpg|alt=|Christianborg Castle, Ghana
File:Christianborg castle 5.jpg|Christianborg Castle, Ghana
File:Christianborg castle 9.jpg|Christianborg Castle, Ghana
File:Osu Castle in Ghana 2.jpg|Osu Castle in Ghana
File:Fort Christiansborg Castle 6.jpg|alt=
</gallery>

== References ==
{{reflist|33em}}

== Sources ==
*Albert van Dantzig; Barbara Priddy, ''A Short History of the Forts and Castles of Ghana'' (Accra: Liberty Press, 1971).

==External links==
{{commons category|Fort Christiansborg}}
* [http://www.ghanamuseums.org/forts/fort-christianburg.php Ghana Museums and Monuments Board]

{{Gold Coast}}
{{Forts and fortresses of the Portuguese empire |state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Coord|5|32|49|N|0|10|57|W|region:GH-AA_type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=title}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 17th century]]
[[Category:Castles in Ghana]]
[[Category:Danish Gold Coast]]
[[Category:Government buildings in Ghana]]
[[Category:Government Houses of the British Empire and Commonwealth]]
[[Category:Former Danish colonies]]
[[Category:Presidential residences]]
[[Category:1550 establishments in the Portuguese Empire]]