On the East Bank of the Hooghly river, one of the main tributaries of the Ganges in Kolkata, the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, is one of the main attractions of the city – Fort William. It was built at the beginning of the period of British rule in India, and is named in honor of the English king William III. Right in front of him is the biggest public Park Kolkata – Maidan.

Officially there are two Fort William – old and new. The old fortress was built in 1696, the British East India Company under the leadership of John Goldsborough, to strengthen the power of the Europeans on this site. It was founded as the South-East Bastion and the surrounding wall. Later, in 1701, John beard built the North-East Bastion, and in 1702 began the construction of a Government House (House Management) in the heart of the fortress – a large two-storey building. And ended only in 1706. This building housed the infamous "black hole" - a small basement, which 1756 were tortured over a hundred British soldiers, when the fortress was captured by the Nawab (ruler) of Bengal, Siraj UD-Daulah. Then the Fort was renamed Alinagar. But in 1758, after the battle of Plessy, Robert Clive returned to Fort William to the Brits. In 1781 he began the reconstruction of the fortress and the construction of the "new" Fort, with the consequence that its footprint has increased to 70, 9 hectares.

Today the territory of the new Fort belongs to the Indian army – it housed the headquarters of the Eastern Command, and the fortress itself capable of taking "on accommodation" to 10 thousand soldiers. The "new" Fort William is well protected and the entrance is forbidden for civilians.