Colombo / Sri Lanka

To the southeast of India in the Lakshadweep Sea lies the island of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, and on its western coast its largest city, Colombo. The city has just under 800,000 inhabitants, while its metropolitan area has almost 6 million.

Colombo has a natural harbor, so it is no wonder that it was well known to European and Asian nations more than 2,000 years ago. In the 8th century, Arabs began to settle on the island, in the early 16th century the Portuguese, and in the 17th century the Dutch. In 1815, Sri Lanka was ceded to Great Britain and Colombo became its capital, and in 1948 the island gained independence. Today, Colombo is a popular destination for cruise ships and a frequent target for tourists.

Colombo is a mixture of modern architecture and historical colonial buildings and their remnants. The historic center of the city is nicknamed "The Fort," and just a stone's throw away is Pettah, an area of traditional bustling markets where you can buy the possible and the impossible.

On the coast of the Indian Ocean in the very center of the city lies the Galle Face Green city park, the largest open space in all of Colombo, popular with families with children, tourists, and of course traders. Here also stands one of Sri Lanka's oldest and most popular hotels, the Galle Face Hotel, with high ceilings, balconies, hand-carved doors, and antique furniture.

The Gangaramaya Temple, a Buddhist temple from the late 19th century, is a mixture of Sri Lankan, Thai, Indian, and Chinese architecture and is one of the most important in the city. One of Colombo's most visited landmarks is the Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque with its red and white facade, built in 1908-9.

The old Colombo lighthouse, 29 meters high, no longer serves its original purpose but is a clock tower. St. Paul's Church in Milagiriya was built by the Portuguese and is thus one of the oldest churches in Sri Lanka.

From the time of the Dutch settlement of the island comes the former Dutch hospital from the 17th century and the Dutch House, which is today the Colombo Dutch Museum with an exhibition on the theme of Dutch colonial rule.

Viharamahadevi Park with its huge Buddha statue is the oldest and largest park in Colombo. Nearby stands the Colombo National Museum, founded in the second half of the 19th century. Here you can view historical exhibitions and an extensive collection of artifacts, including, for example, the throne and crown of the Kandyan kings.

In the 1920s, the city hall was built, whose bright white building, inspired by the neoclassical style of the Washington Capitol, is one of the city's landmarks.

The Dehiwala Zoo, with its orchids, ponds, fountains, and 2,000 animals including black panthers, civets, or crocodiles, is one of the best in all of Asia.

Sri Lankan cuisine is a mix of Indian, Indonesian, and Dutch cuisine and is based on rice, coconut, and spices. When visiting Colombo, it is definitely worth trying the local curry, kiribath – rice cooked in salted coconut milk – or kool, a soup of crabs, fish, shrimp, and crayfish.

Places worth seeing

Galle Face Green – Take a walk along the promenade of the city's largest open space, formerly used as a racecourse.

Colombo National Museum – Get acquainted with the history of Sri Lanka and view valuable artifacts including the throne and crown of the island's former rulers.

Pettah Market – Get lost in the narrow streets of the traditional market and buy everything possible and impossible – including the jewelry for which the market is famous.

St. Paul's Church – Visit one of the oldest churches in Sri Lanka, built during the colonial rule of the Portuguese.

Dehiwala ZOO – Visit one of the best Asian zoos with black leopards, crocodiles, civets, and two thousand other animals.

Jami-Ul-Alfar Mosque – Admire the beautiful mosque with a red and white facade, built at the beginning of the 20th century.