Adomi Bridge, Atimpoku 02

Explore Ghana

Monuments in Ghana

Adomi Bridge (Volta Bridge) · Photo: Celestinesucess · License: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Ghana's monuments tell the country's story in stone, steel, mud brick and concrete, from Portuguese forts on the western coast to a lighthouse tower in the heart of Accra. They are scattered widely, so this page gathers them in one place: coastal castles and ruins such as Fort San Sebastian at Shama, Fort Santo Antonio at Axim and Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg at Prince's Town, alongside inland markers like the Gwollu Slave Defence Wall, the Wa Naa's Palace and the Centre of Ghana Monument at Kintampo.

What they share is memory. Some honour people, such as the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra and the Nkrumah Museum at Nkroful, his birthplace, or the Dr Hilla Limann Mausoleum at Gwollu. Others mark harder histories, including the Salaga Slave Cemetery and the memorials at Atorkor. A few are simply landmarks with a view, like the Adomi Bridge at Atimpoku, the Akosombo Dam, Jamestown Lighthouse and Cape Three Points.

They differ in setting and in condition. Some are restored and managed, others are ruins reached on foot, and a few sit in working towns or villages where everyday life continues around them.

Good to know

Before you go

Plan by region rather than by list, as these places are spread from Accra and the Volta Region to the Western, Central, Upper West and Savannah Regions. Many are best reached with your own vehicle or a hired car and driver; some, such as Fort Dorothea at Akwidaa, are reached on foot with permission from the local chief. Before setting out, check current access and opening arrangements, as sites can close at short notice — Fort Santo Antonio at Axim has been closed since 18 December 2025. Dress and behave respectfully at palaces, cemeteries and memorial sites, and consider hiring a local guide for context.

Start here

Places to explore

Attraction · Atimpoku

Adomi Bridge

The Adomi Bridge is Ghana's first permanent Volta River crossing and longest suspension bridge, a steel crescent arch at Atimpoku on National Route N2.

Photo: Celestinesucess · Source

Attraction · Akosombo

Akosombo Dam

The Akosombo Dam is a rock-fill embankment dam on the Volta River in Ghana's Eastern Region, operated by the Volta River Authority and impounding Lake Volta.

Photo: Allison Stillwell at English Wikipedia · Source

Attraction · Akwidaa

Cape Three Points Lighthouse

Cape Three Points is Ghana's southernmost tip, a fishing village and peninsula in Ahanta West known for its 1875 lighthouse ruin and working 1925 tower.

Photo: Friedmut Abel · Source

Attraction · Prince's Town

Fort Gross-Friedrichsburg

Ghana's only German-built fort, a hilltop fortification on Manfro Hill at Princes Town (Pokesu), Western Region, now a partially restored attraction and rest house.

Photo: Roberto Zaugg · Source

Attraction · Shama

Fort San Sebastian

Fort San Sebastian at Shama, Western Region, is a Portuguese fort of 1520–1526, later expanded by the Dutch and now a National Monument in Ghana's UNESCO-listed forts and castles.

Photo: Esthee2010 · Source

Attraction · Axim

Fort Santo Antonio

Portuguese-built fort begun in 1515 at Axim, Western Region, now a UNESCO-listed state monument managed by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board and closed since 18 December 2025.

Photo: Jesuraj Alakassery · Source

Attraction · Komenda

Fort Vredenburg

Fort Vredenburgh is a ruined 1682 Dutch fort on the Komenda River at Dutch Komenda, Central Region, inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage in 1979.

Photo: Flixtey · Source

Attraction · Gwollu

Gwollu Slave Defence Wall

A 19th-century mud-and-brick defence wall in Gwollu, Upper West Region, built by Gwollu Koro Limann against slave traders and managed by the Ghana Museums and Monuments Board.

Photo: Sir Amugi · Source

Attraction · Accra

Jamestown Lighthouse

Jamestown Lighthouse is a 28 m red-and-white banded tower in Jamestown, Accra, built in 1932 to replace an 1871 lighthouse, with 112 steps to summit views.

Photo: Dan Sloan · Source

Attraction · Accra

Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park

Accra's memorial park and mausoleum honouring Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah, and his wife Fathia, on the Old Polo Grounds.

Photo: Nardi Boobo · Source

Attraction · Wa

Wa Naa's Palace

Wa Naa's Palace is the traditional palace and official residence of the Wa Naa in Wa town, Upper West Region, and a gazetted national monument in Sudano-Sahelian mud-brick style.

Photo: U.S. Embassy Ghana · Source

Attraction

Attraction · Atorkor

Atorkor Slave Market

A coastal heritage site in Atorkor, Volta Region, where a 1999 memorial marks the village's role as a slave-trade port on the Upper Slave Coast.

Attraction

Attraction · Atorkor

Atorkor Slave Park

Atorkor Slave Park is a 1999 heritage memorial in the coastal Anlo village of Atorkor, Volta Region, marking the area's role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Attraction

Attraction · Kintampo

Centre of Ghana Monument

A small monument in central Kintampo marking the point identified as Ghana's geographical centre, marked with the Coat of Arms and a hoisted national flag.

Attraction

Attraction · Shama

Cross in the Sea (White Cross), Shama

The Cross in the Sea, or White Cross, is a historic cross monument standing in the sea off Shama in Ghana's Western Region, linked to Portuguese arrival in 1471.

Attraction

Attraction · Gwollu

Dr Hilla Limann Mausoleum / Tomb

The burial place and memorial of Dr Hilla Limann, Ghana's 8th President and the only president of the Third Republic, inside the chief's compound in Gwollu, Upper West Region.

Attraction

Attraction · Akwidaa

Fort Dorothea, Akwidaa

Fort Dorothea is a ruined Brandenburg-era fort on a rocky hill at Akwidaa in Ghana's Western Region, reached on foot with permission from the local chief.

Attraction

Attraction · Takoradi

Harbour View Gardens

Harbour View Gardens is an elevated garden, bar and restaurant in Takoradi's Harbour Area, overlooking Takoradi Port and marked by a war memorial at its entrance.

Attraction

Attraction · Nkroful

Nkrumah Museum at Nkroful

Museum and mausoleum at Nkroful, birthplace of Ghana's first president Kwame Nkrumah, retaining his original 1972 burial site and memorial.

Attraction

Attraction · Salaga

Salaga Slave Cemetery

A mass grave and burial ground in Salaga, Savannah Region, for enslaved people who died during captivity or transport through the Salaga slave market.

Attraction

Attraction · Besease Ejisu

Yaa Asantewaa Memorial Heritage Trail

A memorial project at the Besease gravesite of Yaa Asantewaa, Queen Mother of Ejisu and leader of the 1900 Asante resistance, in the Ejisu Municipal District.

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