Tour Buildings in Sri Lanka

The history of Queen's House can be traced back to the Dutch colonial period. It is a symbol of Sri Lanka's political power. It’s role is the same as the White House is to the United States, and No. 10 Downing Street is to Britain. After the Dutch governor left, the British governor took over the house. After the British left, it became the presidential palace of Lanka. The grandeur of the building is matched with its mission. The presidential palace is large in scale. The towering trees in the palace block the sunlight shining through the air over the Indian Ocean. Precious paintings and historical furniture are displayed in the palace, showing off the power of the house's inhabitants to visitors.

This building is now the General Post Office of Sri Lanka. It was built in 1895 by Wapchi Marikar, a famous designer. It integrates the architectural style of ancient Greek stone columns and is still one of the most distinctive colonial buildings in Sri Lanka. The architect also designed the National Museum, Galle Face Hotel, Town Hall, and other Colombo landmark buildings, which are much worth visiting.

This building has an extraordinary history. More than a century ago, it was the tallest building in Colombo, decorated with the tallest column chandelier in Asia. But when the Central Bank was bombed in 1996, the building was unfortunately destroyed. Fortunately, the building has now been transformed into a museum of Sri Lanka's economic history, which tells the unique history of the country's currency from a unique perspective.

The Standard Chartered Bank Building was originally designed to provide banking services for the rapid expansion of bank trade between the UK and the East. Now, the building continues to be used as office space by Standard Chartered Bank. During the colonial period, the building served as the headquarters of many companies, such as Aitken Spence (parent company of Heritage Hotel), Muller, Cumberbatch, and Phipps, etc.

The Cargills Miller Building is located on the opposite side of Standard Chartered Bank Building. Its red and white coloring is stunning. The Cargills Miller Building is the symbol of Cargills Group. After visiting the building, you can walk south along York Street to Chatham Street. You can stop by Dilmah's Teahouse "T-lounge" to enjoy a cup of pure Ceylon black tea and feel the strong European style.

The old Dutch hospital, built in 1681 by the Dutch East India Company during the Dutch colonial period, was a medical center for Dutch officials and staff in Colombo. This building reflects the style of Dutch colonial buildings in the 17th century. In order to dissipate heat and keep off moisture, and maintain a relatively comfortable indoor environment, the building is built with a 50 cm thick wall and piles of teak beams. As one of the few shopping and entertainment centers in Colombo, Dutch Hospital is a must-visit place when you take a trip to Colombo. There are all kinds of food, drink, and entertainment here, enough for you to spend a whole day.

Built in the 17th century, the Dutch Colonial Museum is the private house of Thomas Van Rhee, the governor of the Netherlands, in Colombo. In 1977, with the help of the Dutch government, the building was transformed into the Dutch Colonial Museum (part of the National Museum) and opened to the public. Among them, there are more than 3,000 exhibits related to the Dutch's rule of Sri Lanka's southwest coast from 1658 to 1796. Students who want to learn about Sri Lanka's colonial past must visit it.

The National Museum is a masterpiece of the famous architect Wapchi Marikar and one of the symbols of Colombo. During the British colonial period, a museum was built in Sri Lanka under the colonial government at the request of the Ceylon branch of the Royal Asian Association. Led by Sir William Henry Gregory, governor of Ceylon at that time, J.G. Smither, a famous designer, designed the building in an Italian style. In the collection on the first floor of the National Museum, there is also the "Zheng He Donation Monument" left by Zheng He when he arrived in Sri Lanka during his voyage to the Western Ocean. The body of the monument is engraved in Chinese, Tamil and Persian. It records the pilgrimage of Zheng He to Sri Lanka in 1409 (the seventh year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty) when he was sent to the west by the Emperor. It is of great value as a tourist destination.

Colombo Town Hall, also known as the "Old Town Hall", is located in the north corner of Viharamahadevi Park. The Old Town Hall was opened by the British governor William Gregory in 1873. It looks like an antique building from the outside, with a small museum and a wax museum inside, which is quite interesting. Visitors can pull down the wooden shutters upstairs to view the vivid and unique street view outside the window.

Racecourse, located in the Seventh District of Colombo, was first built in 1893. It is a racecourse full of British flavor. In 1922, it became the first racecourse in the East with a horse racing bet system. Turf Club in Colombo also took Racecourse as its base and built its own stands and club rooms. In the Second World War, Racecourse was developed into an airport for the air force by virtue of it being flat and wide. After the war, it was rebuilt into the original racecourse. Racecourse completely faded into history after gambling on horse races was banned in the 1950s. It wasn't until 2014 that Racecourse was transformed into today’s shopping center integrating entertainment, shopping, and dining that this noble racecourse was reborn. It's worth mentioning that Racecourse holds a weekend fair every Saturday. At that time, many small vendors set up shelters to sell old books, handicrafts, homemade juice desserts, spices, Lanka specialties, and so on. There are also singers that perform on certain occasions.