Galle is located on the south coast of Sri Lanka, is the fourth largest city on the island and today has about 120,000 inhabitants. In ancient times, Galle's natural harbor was Sri Lanka's largest port and of great strategic importance to the Chinese and Arabs, and later to the colonial powers. He lost his importance as the British colonial power established a major port in Colombo. The city's "modern" history began in 1505, when Portuguese ships commanded by Lourenço de Almeida arrived at the port, fleeing a storm. Although the Portuguese had to withdraw again, as the local rulers denied them access - 13 years later, however, these had beaten the attackers on the return of the Portuguese. A first Portuguese trading post and a church were built in 1543, the Sinhalese king finally left the city to the Portuguese in 1587. In 1640, the Dutch under General Coster conquered the city. Built by the Dutch in 1663, Galle Fortress is today, like the old town, a World Heritage Site. It is the largest preserved European fortress in South Asia and impressively demonstrates the interaction between European and Asian architecture. In addition, the Dutch built churches, administrative buildings and residential buildings. The Jesuit Cathedral of St. Mary's is now one of the city's landmarks. In 1796, the garrison was handed over to the British, who left the fortress unchanged and used it as an administrative building. Today, Galle strives to present itself as the "green city" and one of the most attractive cities in Sri Lanka.