Hulftsdorp (also written, incorrectly as Hultsdorf ) is a suburb in
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
,
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
. It is part of the postal area known as ''Colombo 12''. It has been known historically as Hulffsdorp, Hulfsdorp, Hulftsdorp, Hulsdorp, Hulstsdorp and Hülffsdorf.
History
The name of the suburb Hulftsdorp is a commemoration of General
Gerard Pieterszoon Hulft, the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
's Director of
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and commander in chief of the company's forces in
Ceylon
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
(Sri Lanka) and on the Coast of India. Its name in Dutch translates to "Hulft's Town". He was killed while besieging Colombo. The hill on which he had his headquarters was named 'Hulft's Dorp' during the
Dutch occupation. Nowadays, Hulftsdorp is regarded as the centre of legal activity in Colombo being the location of the
Supreme Court of Sri Lanka
The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka (; ) is the Supreme court, highest court in Sri Lanka and the final judicial instance of record. Established in 1801 and empowered to exercise its powers subject to the provisions of the Constitution of Sri Lanka ...
,
Court of Appeal of Sri Lanka,
Hulftsdorp court complex and
Sri Lanka Law College.
References
Populated places in Western Province, Sri Lanka
{{WesternLK-geo-stub