Ghana Armed Forces Museum (Kumasi Fort)
UNLIKE the many forts and castles built and occupied by European traders in Ghana, the Kumasi Fort is one that is not located along the coast.
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The Kumasi Fort and Military Museum is located in the Uaddara Barracks in Kumasi, the capital of the Ashanti Region.
Now known as the Ghana Armed Forces Museum, it is one of a few military museums in Africa.
History
The present building is the second builton the site in 1896.
The first building, originally called the Kumasi Fort, was built in1820 by the Asantehene, Osei Tutu Kwamina, who wanted a replica of the Cape Coast forts built by the European merchants.
Building materials such as granite and brown soil were brought from Cape Coast to Kumasi by head porters as it was intended to be similar to the Castle in Cape Coast.
In 1952, after the Second World War, the Armed Forces of the British Colonial Government took over the fort and converted it into a museum.
Items on display include maps, old photographs, military equipment, artefacts and other objects used in the British-Asante War of 1900 and World War II.
The collection also includes medals, anti-aircraft guns, cannons and armoured cars.
The museum has been an institution of learning about the evolution and development of the Gold Coast Regiment from the colonial era to the present Ghana Armed Forces.
The Kumasi Fort and Military Museum is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except on Sundays and public holidays.