One of several forts that the Dutch built during the Kandy era during their stay in the country, the Dutch Star Fort of Matara is one of the most famous of its kind, especially since its uniqueness is right in its very name. When the Dutch took over the South in 1640, they still had to face hostilities from the Sinhalese army. The first fort at Matara was overrun by 1762, leaving them and their trade routes vulnerable, and thus came an even better protection in the form of the Star Fort. It was completed in the year 1765 on the banks of the Nilawala River to protect the main fort from attacks that would come from across the river and in the shape of a thick, six-pointed star. It was geometrically concentric in its construction with a second, narrower star just behind the main wall and a hexagonal wall inside. However, it was the very last Dutch fortification.

In a twist of irony, they had no chance to test it out against the local army as the hostilities soon ceased between Kandy and the Dutch by way of a treaty that effectively trapped the king within his own territory, cutting away his monopoly over the local trade.

Also, the Dutch Star Fort had to be handed over to the British in 1796 when they surrendered their colony to the new invasive force.

It was mainly constructed to hold twelve heavy cannons on each rampart, each wall being fourteen feet wide, and built of granite and coral. There is a moat in front of the fort, encircling it completely. It is roughly ten feet deep and twenty feet wide. In fact, this fortress was built as a fully-fledged defensive and offensive structure, large and well-equipped enough to hold a small garrison with a good food and water supply as well. There are prison cells here too, a testament to-callously enough-the forward-thinking nature of the Dutch architects. In fact, while it was conceived as a fort, it was never used as such, instead becoming an official residence and a government office of British officials for many years and finally a library until 1975. It is now used to house a museum with cultural and historical artifacts of Matara. The Dutch Star Fort is located about 15 km South East of Weligama.

Written by Vasika Udurawane for Travel Lanka Compass