A proposal has been submitted to establish a hotel and museum at the premises of the Old Bogambara Prison in Kandy.
The project proposal handed over to State Minister of Prison Reforms Lohan Ratwatte by Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya aims to provide an experience and view of the prison system in Sri Lanka.
The Prison hotel and museum will be managed by the Sri Lanka Prisons Department. It has been proposed to renovate the historical old Bogambara Prison premises with the assistance of the Urban Development Authority (UDA).
As per the proposal, staff members of a restaurant that will be established in the premises will be dressed as prison officers and prisoners, while the structure of the restaurant will be set up as a prison cell.
The old Bogambara Prison premises will be converted into a hotel with a prison exterior, and will consist of a prison museum, restaurant, Cultural Centre for foreign tourists, Art Gallery, and local Art Craft stores, among other units.
The Bogambara Prison was established by the British in 1876. The Old Bogambara Prison is a historical place and its main building and fort wall are also designated as World Heritage Sites.
Following the removal of the Prison from the premises, the site will be developed by the Urban Development Authority as proposed by the Prisons Department. (NewsWire)
