Fort Prinzenstein in Keta is one of Ghana’s most haunting historical landmarks, built in 1784 by Danish traders after the Sagbadre War against the Anlo Ewe. It became a hub of the Atlantic slave trade, a prison, and later a ruin battered by the sea, yet today it stands as a powerful reminder of colonial conflict and human suffering..
Fort Prinzenstein (Danish: Fort Prinsensten) was erected in 1784 by the Danes to consolidate their power east of the Volta River. Its construction followed the Sagbadre War, a brutal conflict in which Danish forces allied with the enemies of the Anlo Ewe to weaken local resistance. The fort’s purpose was twofold: to defend Danish trade interests against rival European powers and to suppress local opposition.
The fort was not the first European post in Keta. Earlier, the Dutch had attempted to establish a foothold, but they were attacked by the Akwamu in the early 18th century and later besieged by the Dahomey kingdom in 1737, forcing them to abandon the site. The Danes seized the opportunity to rebuild, and Prinzenstein became one of their four major forts along the Gold Coast.
The fort was constructed largely with stone transported from Accra, reflecting the logistical reach of Danish traders. Its thick walls and ramparts symbolized both military might and commercial ambition. Beyond its role in the slave trade, Prinzenstein facilitated the exchange of gold, ivory, and agricultural products for European goods such as muskets, textiles, brandy, iron rods, and cowrie shells.
Prinzenstein’s darkest chapter was its role as a slave dungeon. Captives from Accra, Northern Volta, Togo, and Dahomey (Benin) were marched to slave markets in Keta and Atorkor before being confined within the fort. Here, they endured horrific conditions:
Medical examinations to assess their “fitness” for sale.
Branding with red‑hot irons, marking them with the insignia of European companies.
Imprisonment in suffocating chambers while awaiting shipment across the Atlantic to the Caribbean.
This process turned the fort into a transit point of human misery, linking West African communities to the global machinery of slavery.
In 1850, Denmark sold its Gold Coast possessions, including Fort Prinzenstein, to Britain. Under British control, the fort was repurposed as a prison, continuing its legacy of confinement. Later, as colonial priorities shifted, the fort fell into neglect.
Nature eventually became the fort’s greatest adversary. In 1980, powerful waves and coastal erosion destroyed large sections of the structure, leaving only fragments of walls and foundations. Despite its ruin, the fort remains a striking relic of colonialism in Keta.