Dutch Museum in Colombo

The two storey Dutch Museum that lies hidden on Prince Street is an intricate display of Sri Lankan history during Dutch colonial rule. The building that houses the museum used to be the formal residence of a Governor of Dutch Ceylon and its architectural style closely resembles the unique features of a colonial Dutch town house. You will find several relics of Dutch Colombo within the museum, including the insignia of the city which highlights the Mango tree. The reason for the use of the Mango tree in the insignia is linked to the name of the city. The Dutch believed the name ‘Colombo’ was derived from combining the Sinhalese words for ‘Leaf’ (kola) and ‘Mango’ (amba).

The museum houses a variety of dark cane woven colonial era furniture, in addition to artefacts such as coins, porcelain objects and documents. Catch a glimpse of the oldest courtyard garden in Colombo, popularly known as the ‘Meda Midula’. A solitary Cinnamon tree – the spice that attracted the Dutch to Sri Lanka – grows in this garden. There is also a typical Dutch colonial era well in the center of the courtyard.