Colonial forts and castles in twenty-first-century Ghana – spatial and functional layout in rapidly changing urban tissue

Abstract The objective of this article is to determine the contemporary functions of forts and castles built by Europeans on the coast of Ghana and to identify their place in the spatial and functional structure of modern-day settlement units. The considerations are based on field research conducted in 2022. First, the analysis covered the following attributes of the sites: accessibility, inclusion on the UNESCO List, and past and contemporary functions. Next, five types of forts were distinguished, based on their placement and surroundings. The sites analysed fulfil a number of functions, such as residential, hotel and artistic, while the tourist function, albeit common, is visible in less than half of the cases. The majority of the forts are falling into disrepair; this depends on their placement, location and the function they fulfil, as well as action (or lack thereof) on the part of the authorities to protect difficult colonial heritage.