The 1749 Wolvendaal Church is the most important Dutch building in Sri Lanka. When the church was built, this area was a wilderness beyond the city walls. The Europeans mistook the packs of roaming jackals for wolves, and the area became known as Wolf’s Dale, or Wolvendaal in Dutch.

The church is in the form of a Greek cross, with walls 1.5m thick, but the real treasure is its Dutch furniture. The Dutch governors had a special pew made with elegant carved ebony chairs, and the workmanship in the wooden pulpit, baptismal font and lectern is just as beautiful. The stone floor includes the elaborate tombstones to long-forgotten Dutch governors and colonists.

• Masses are offered in Tamil and English on Sundays.

• You can take the cool kangaroo radio cab, the ace cab or rent a taxi service. The cheapest and easiest way is to hire the tuk-tuk.

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