Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta, was founded as a British trading post by Job Charnock in 1690. The city is strategically located on the Hooghly River, making it an ideal location for trade and transportation. Initially, Kolkata was a collection of three villages: Sutanuti, Kalikata, and Gobindapur. These villages were gradually developed by the British East India Company into a thriving trading post. In 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, Kolkata became part of the British Empire, and the city began to grow rapidly. In 1772, Kolkata was named the capital of British India, a status it retained until 1911, when the capital was moved to Delhi. During this period, Kolkata became known as the City of Palaces due to the many magnificent buildings built by British officials and wealthy Indian merchants.

The city played a central role in the Indian independence movement. In the 19th century, Kolkata became a centre of the Bengal Renaissance, a cultural and intellectual movement that sought to revive Indian art, literature and science. Many prominent figures such as Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda and Subhas Chandra Bose were associated with Kolkata. The city also experienced significant industrialisation and urbanisation, making it an important economic centre. After India’s independence in 1947, Kolkata continued to be a cultural hub. The city has since witnessed significant social and political movements, including the Naxalite movement of the 1960s and 1970s, a Maoist insurgency. Today, Kolkata is known for its rich cultural heritage, diversity and dynamic economy.

The city centre of Kolkata is characterised by bustling streets and historic buildings. The old heart of the city consists of the Binoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh neighbourhood and square, also abbreviated as B.B.D. Bagh. It is an area with a clear historical character, and the central square was previously named after Lord Dalhousie, who was the British Governor General of India from 1847 to 1856. The current name comes from three young Indians, Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta, who in 1930 attacked the Writer’s Building in the square during the Indian revolution against freedom from British rule.

In the square B.B.D. Bagh, you can today see several buildings around the lake, which make up most of the square’s area. These are buildings that are among the most important in the public administration and government of the state of West Bengal. To the north is the 150-meter-long Writer’s Building, which in its original version was designed by Thomas Lyon in 1777. At that time, it housed officials from the British East India Company. Since then, the large and several times expanded building has housed educational institutions, railway offices, British government offices, etc., before it became the seat of government of West Bengal after Indian independence and thereby a regional political center in modern India.

In the same neighborhood, along a southwest axis, you can see the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the former Governor of West Bengal. The neoclassical building was built in 1803 by the East India Company during the period when the Indian possessions were governed by companies and not by the crown. In 1858, the large house became the residence of the Viceroy of India, and when Delhi became the capital, the house became the seat of the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal. Continuing west from here, you come to the state parliament building, the Vidhan Sabha, and the Calcutta High Court, the oldest courthouse in India. The Vidhan Sabha was established in 1862, and the current building was inaugurated in 1921 by the Duke of Cannaught. The Calcutta High Court was formally opened on July 1, 1862, in the building, which was designed by the British architect Walter Long Bozzi Granville, inspired by the Cloth Hall in Ypres, Belgium.

You should also take a walk in the B.B.D. Bagh to experience the fine atmosphere that is in the streets. Along the way, you can visit and see several interesting buildings from Kolkata’s history. Close to Writer’s Buildings is the General Post Office, which was built between 1864 and 1868. The building was designed by the British architect Walter B. Grenville, who served as the consulting architect to the Indian government from 1863 to 1868. The post office building is known for its impressive dome and tall Ionic-Corinthian columns. Close by is St. John’s Church from the 1780s. The church was originally an Anglican cathedral and functioned as such until 1847, when St. Paul’s Cathedral took over that role.

From the streets of B.B.D. Bagh, you can easily walk to the banks of the Hooghly River, where you can take a walk along the river promenade in, for example, Millennium Park. From there, there is a good view over the water and to the north to the Howrah Bridge, an engineering feat that connects the city of Kolkata with Howrah, and which is one of the city’s landmarks. The 670-meter-long lattice bridge was opened in 1943 and leads, among other things, to the colossal Howrah Railway Station, one of the largest and busiest railway stations in the world. It opened for the first train in 1854, and the station is today an experience. You can learn more about its history at the Kolkata Rail Museum immediately south of the station.

The Victoria Memorial in Kolkata is another impressive building. It was built between 1906 and 1921 by the British government in memory of Queen Victoria, who was Empress of India from 1876 to 1901. The monument, made of white marble, is an excellent example of Indo-Saracenic architecture, combining British and Indian architectural elements. Located in the Maidan area of ​​central Kolkata, Victoria Memorial covers an area of ​​64 hectares, including beautifully landscaped gardens surrounding the monument. Designed by British architects William Emerson and Vincent Esch, the building is known for its magnificent dome and the many statues and reliefs that adorn the facade of the monument.

Inside the Victoria Memorial, there is a museum that houses an extensive collection of artifacts, paintings, and manuscripts that provide an insight into India’s colonial history. The museum also contains personal items that belonged to Queen Victoria, and memorabilia from viceroys and governors who served under British rule. Among other things, you can see a number of paintings in the exhibition that depict important events in Indian history. In addition to the museum, Victoria Memorial is also known for its light and sound shows that tell the story of Kolkata and the monument after dark. This makes Victoria Memorial one of the most popular tourist attractions in Kolkata.

East of the Victoria Memorial is the city’s Anglican cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral. The cathedral stands as a prominent example of Gothic architecture with Indian elements in the style, also known as Indo-Gothic. The large church was founded in 1839 and completed in 1847, when it was granted cathedral status. Designed by architects William Nairn Forbes and C. K. Robinson, the church was built to accommodate the growing European population of Kolkata and dedicated to the Apostle Paul. The cathedral is known for its impressive length of 75 meters and a width of 25 meters, with a central spire reaching a height of 61 meters. Inside the cathedral are beautiful stained glass windows depicting biblical scenes, and a library with a collection of rare books and manuscripts.

In the southern part of the city center of Kolkata is also Fort William, one of the city’s most significant historical buildings and a fine example of British military architecture. The fort was originally built between 1696 and 1702 by the British East India Company under the leadership of Sir John Goldsborough and was named after King William III. The original fort was attacked and temporarily captured by Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah in 1756, leading to the infamous Black Hole of Calcutta incident. After the British recaptured Kolkata, they began construction of a new and larger fort in 1758, which was completed in 1781. Fort William is known for its octagonal shape and extensive fortifications such as thick walls, bastions and a protective moat. The fort is spread over 70 hectares and has six gates such as Plassey Gate and Calcutta Gate. Today, Fort William serves as the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army and is therefore not open to the public.

For those who want to explore further in the city, there is also the so-called Marble Palace, a private residence with an impressive collection of art and sculptures. The palace was built in 1835 by the wealthy Bengali merchant Raja Rajendra Mullick in neoclassical architecture combined with traditional Bengali elements and Chinese details. The building was constructed of Italian marble and contains about 126 different types of marble, giving it an impressive and elegant appearance. Inside, the Marble Palace is filled with an extensive collection of Western sculptures, Victorian furniture, paintings by European and Indian artists, and other art objects. The palace also has beautiful gardens with lawns, a rock garden, and a lake.

You can also visit the Indian Museum, founded in 1814 by the Asiatic Society of Bengal, which is the oldest and largest museum in India. It has an extensive collection of objects from different periods and cultures, including ancient sculptures, paintings, and manuscripts. The museum was established by the Danish botanist Nathaniel Wallich, who also served as its first curator. Since then, an extensive collection has been established spanning different periods and cultures, including antiquities, armour, ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies and paintings from the Mughal era. The museum has six sections, comprising galleries of art, archaeology, anthropology, geology, zoology and botany.