一座荷兰时代的大型海滨堡垒，位于尼尔瓦拉河和大海之间的海角上，包围了老城区的一部分。

概述

马塔拉堡是尼尔瓦拉河与印度洋交汇处海角上的一个宽阔的城墙封闭区，守卫着城镇的古老中心。与小小的星堡不同，这座较大的防御工事包裹着马塔拉的临海一侧，其长长的石头城墙仍然包围着殖民时期的街道、教堂、钟楼和政府大楼。这是一个适合步行漫步的宜人区域，从城墙上可以欣赏到海景，并且可以轻松前往近海的帕雷德瓦岛寺庙。

历史

The site was first fortified by the Portuguese in the 16th century and substantially rebuilt by the Dutch from around 1640 as a base for the lucrative cinnamon trade. Its ramparts proved vulnerable to attack from inland during the 1761 rebellion, prompting the Dutch to add the separate Star Fort in 1765. The fort passed to the British in 1796 and remains the administrative core of the modern city.