Fort William, India

Fort William is a vast star-shaped fortress on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River in Kolkata, one of the most important military installations built by the British in India. The present structure, an irregular octagon designed on the European bastion system, was completed in 1781 to replace an earlier fort destroyed in 1756.

Its history is bound to the rise of British Calcutta. The original fort's fall to the Nawab of Bengal, and the notorious "Black Hole" episode that followed, were pivotal to the events leading to the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and the East India Company's growing dominance. The rebuilt fort was made deliberately formidable, ringed by a moat and open ground, the Maidan, cleared to give its guns a clear field of fire.

What makes it notable is both its scale and its continuity of use. Spread over a large area, it could reportedly garrison thousands of troops and included barracks, an arsenal, a church and prisons within its ramparts. It remains an active army base today, serving as the headquarters of the Indian Army's Eastern Command.

For visitors, this active status means access is restricted and generally requires prior permission, so the fort is admired chiefly from the surrounding Maidan, the great green lung of central Kolkata. That open expanse, created by the fort's guns, is now the city's most beloved public space, dotted with cricket matches, horse riders and the Victoria Memorial nearby. The ramparts and gates are visible from the perimeter, and the whole ensemble tells the story of how a trading post grew into the capital of British India. Combine it with a walk along the river ghats.