Princess Town
Encyclopedia
Princes Town is located 5 km east of Fort St. Antonio on Manfro Hill in the Ahanta West District
of the Western Region
of Ghana
. It lies between Axim
to the west and Takoradi to the east. The original name of this West African town was "Kpokezoe". On 1 January 1681, a Brandenburger
expedition of two ships commanded by Otto Friedrich von der Groeben
, arrived in the Gold Coast
, and began to build a strong fort between Axim and the Cape of Three Points. The fort was completed in 1683 and was renamed Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg in honor of Prince Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg. Because the Fort was named after a Prince, it has been referred to as: Ft. Friedrichsburg/Princes Town. The fort was to be the headquarters of the Brandenburgers in Africa.
In 1708, an Ahantan slave trader, Chief John Kanu learned that the Germans were going to sell the Fort to the Dutch
. In protest, he waged a war that managed to stave off fleets of battleships for almost 20 years. The Fort was eventually captured in 1725 by the Dutch and renamed Ft. Friedrichsburg to Ft. Hollandia.
Because John Kanu was successful in retaining control of the Fort, slaves looked upon him as a hero. "Junkanoo
" festivals such as Mardi Gras
are held annually in the coastal outlines of North Carolina
, in Jamaica
and the Bahamas. In 1872, the Dutch ceded the Fort to Britain and in 1957, the fort became part of the newly independent country of Ghana.
The fort is built of stone transported by sea between 1681 and 1683 from Prussia
and is the only known German fort ever built in Ghana. It is estimated that some 300,000 Africans were transported through this fort. The remains of John Kanu are a mystery. Some have said he was sold into slavery after having lost the battle of the fort while others have said his remains are in the Tafo Cemetery in Kumasi
.
The population of Princes Town is 5,200. Princes Town's gazetted Chief is Nana Ndama Kundumoah IV.
Ahanta West District
The Ahanta West District is a district of Ghana in the Western Region.-Sources:*...
of the Western Region
Western Region (Ghana)
The Western Region of Ghana, reaching from the Côte d'Ivoire border in the west to the Central Region in the east, includes the large twin city of Sekondi-Takoradi on the coast, coastal Axim, and a hilly inland area including Elubo. It includes Ghana's southernmost location, Cape Three Points,...
of Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
. It lies between Axim
Axim
Axim is a town, district and kingdom on the coast of Ghana. It lies 64 kilometers west of the port city of Takoradi, south of the highway leading to the Côte d'Ivoire border, in the Western Region to the west of Cape Three Points....
to the west and Takoradi to the east. The original name of this West African town was "Kpokezoe". On 1 January 1681, a Brandenburger
Brandenburg-Prussia
Brandenburg-Prussia is the historiographic denomination for the Early Modern realm of the Brandenburgian Hohenzollerns between 1618 and 1701. Based in the Electorate of Brandenburg, the main branch of the Hohenzollern intermarried with the branch ruling the Duchy of Prussia, and secured succession...
expedition of two ships commanded by Otto Friedrich von der Groeben
Otto Friedrich von der Groeben
Otto Friedrich von der Groeben was a Prussian explorer, officer and general in Polish service.-Biography:Von der Groeben was born in Napratten to the General Georg Heinrich von der Groeben...
, arrived in the Gold Coast
Brandenburger Gold Coast
The Brandenburger Gold Coast, later Prussian Gold Coast, was a part of the Gold Coast. The Brandenburg colony existed from 1682 to 1717.- Brandenburger Gold Coast :...
, and began to build a strong fort between Axim and the Cape of Three Points. The fort was completed in 1683 and was renamed Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg in honor of Prince Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg. Because the Fort was named after a Prince, it has been referred to as: Ft. Friedrichsburg/Princes Town. The fort was to be the headquarters of the Brandenburgers in Africa.
In 1708, an Ahantan slave trader, Chief John Kanu learned that the Germans were going to sell the Fort to the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. In protest, he waged a war that managed to stave off fleets of battleships for almost 20 years. The Fort was eventually captured in 1725 by the Dutch and renamed Ft. Friedrichsburg to Ft. Hollandia.
Because John Kanu was successful in retaining control of the Fort, slaves looked upon him as a hero. "Junkanoo
Junkanoo
Junkanoo is a street parade with music, which occurs in many towns across The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands every Boxing Day , New Year's Day and, more recently, in the summer on the island of Grand Bahama. The largest Junkanoo parade happens in Nassau, the capital...
" festivals such as Mardi Gras
Mardi Gras
The terms "Mardi Gras" , "Mardi Gras season", and "Carnival season", in English, refer to events of the Carnival celebrations, beginning on or after Epiphany and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday...
are held annually in the coastal outlines of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
and the Bahamas. In 1872, the Dutch ceded the Fort to Britain and in 1957, the fort became part of the newly independent country of Ghana.
The fort is built of stone transported by sea between 1681 and 1683 from Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
and is the only known German fort ever built in Ghana. It is estimated that some 300,000 Africans were transported through this fort. The remains of John Kanu are a mystery. Some have said he was sold into slavery after having lost the battle of the fort while others have said his remains are in the Tafo Cemetery in Kumasi
Kumasi
Kumasi is a city in southern central Ghana's Ashanti region. It is located near Lake Bosomtwe, in the Rain Forest Region about northwest of Accra. Kumasi is approximately north of the Equator and north of the Gulf of Guinea...
.
The population of Princes Town is 5,200. Princes Town's gazetted Chief is Nana Ndama Kundumoah IV.