Elmina Castle, Ghana

3D Model

The Zamani Projec, University of Cape Town,. spatially documented Elmina Castle in 2006, using terrestrial laser scanning.

Elmina is first European trading post built on the Gulf of Guinea, and recognised as the oldest European building south of the Sahara. It was founded by the Portuguese in 1482, taken over by the Dutch in the 17th century and the British in the late 19th century.

Elmina Castle and other forts and castles in the area were important links in the trade routes established during the era of maritime exploration, and served the gold trade and the transatlantic slave trade.

They are significant historical sites of European-African engagement, as well as the starting point of the African diaspora. Elmina Castle and other fortified trading-posts in Ghana are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.