Dutch Period Museum

Overview

The Dutch Period Museum occupies a restored 17th-century Dutch colonial residence in Pettah, showcasing furniture, maps, coins, and artifacts from the 150-year Dutch occupation of coastal Ceylon (1640–1796).

Highlights

• Period Rooms: Furnished rooms recreating Dutch colonial domestic life.
• Courtyard: A quiet inner courtyard with a traditional well — an oasis from the Pettah chaos outside.
• Ceramic Collection: Dutch and Chinese porcelain from the VOC (Dutch East India Company) trade era.

History

The building itself served as a Dutch governor's residence, then a British military hospital, before being restored as a museum in 1982. The architecture alone — with its thick walls, colonnaded verandah, and tiled roof — is worth the visit.

Visitor Tips

• Closed Sundays & Mondays.
• Entry Fee: Nominal fee; foreign nationals pay a higher rate.
• Duration: 30–45 minutes.