Fort William is located on the bank of Hooghly river. There are actually two Fort William, the old and the new. The construction of original fort was completed in 1706 and was named after King William III of England
In 1756, the last Nawab of Bengal, Siraj Ud Daulah temporarily conquered the fort. Siraj changed its name to Alinagar. The British rulers started building a new fort in the Maidan area in 1758 and the construction was completed in 1781. The green area around the Fort William is the famous Maidan, Lungs of Kolkata.
Today this Fort William and the Maidan is the property of Indian army. The headquarters of Eastern Command is at Fort William. Structure of Fort William is kept unchanged as it was during the British Raj. Only the St.Peter's Church no longer exists. This Church was very famous to British citizens at that time. Presently nearly 10,000 military personnel are residents of Fort William. Fort William premises have every kind of facilities like swimming pool, cinema hall, shopping mall, laundry, outdoor playground, restaurants, post office etc. The Old Fort is now used as a customs house.
Fort William is a tourist attraction place in Kolkata. In the maidan, huge gathering of people can be seen during morning and evening time. In this city on concrete, people gather here to breathe fresh air. Previously many fairs were organized in maidan but presently Indian army has taken a decision to prevent the greenery of maidan. Interested tourists have to take prior permission from is Fort William authority to enter the premise.
Special Events at Fort William: Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations.
Nearby Tourist Attractions: Maidan, Esplanade, Park Street, Victoria Memorial and Sahid Minar.
How to reach Fort Williem
The area where Fort William is located is called Hastings. Fort William is on the bank of Ganga or Hooghly river and just by the Vivekananda Setu, 2nd Hoogly River Bridge. From any part of Kolkata or from Howrah railway station, buses and taxis are available. By launch service one has to reach the Outram Ghat which is just near the Fort William.
Hotels near Fort William-Kolkata
There are many hotels of different budgets near Fort William. Few of the hotels are:
The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata
15, Jawaharlal Nehru Road, Kolkata - 033 2249 2323
New Kenilworth Hotel
Shakespeare Sarani, 1, & 2, Little Russel Street,, Kolkata -033 22823939
The Golden Park Hotel
13, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata - 033 2288 3939
Manor Floatel Limited
Kolkata Jetty, 9-10, Kolkata - 033 22137777
Astor Hotel
Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata - 033 22829959
Hotel Sudesh Tower –
No 162 'A', Sarat Bose Road, Pin – 700029
Hotel Royal Garden
No 163 'A', Park Street, Pin – 700017
Hotel Mangalam
No 44 'A', Sarat Bose Road, Pin – 700020
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