Fort Zeelandia
Visit Fort Zeelandia, a former fort that has been transformed into a museum, to learn more about Suriname's history.
The building belonged to British settlers and was known as "Fort Willoughby" until 1667 when it was conquered by the Dutch and renamed after the Dutch province of Zeeland. View the structures that have seen warfare, enslavement, and the 1982 "December Murders." A history museum and a café serving delectable regional cuisine are now located inside Fort Zeelandia.
On behalf of Francis Willoughby, the governor of Barbados, Major Anthony Rowse founded the little Dutch colony of Surinam in 1650. The abandoned French fort, known as Fort Willoughby by the English, was strengthened in 1651 and was located close to modern-day Paramaribo. As the British ammunition ran out, the Dutch Admiral Abraham Crijnssen captured Paramaribo in 1667 from forces led by Lieutenant-Governor William Byam in a fight that lasted about three hours. Essequibo-Pomeroon Colony was also retaken by Crijnssen. The Surinamese fort was renamed Zeelandia by Crijnssen. It began to lose its usefulness as a military tool over time, and in 1772 there were even proposals to demolish Fort Zeelandia.
Fort Zeelandia was the site of the "December killings" of 1982 and was used to jail and torture political prisoners after Suriname gained its independence in 1975 and throughout Dési Bouterse's military rule in the 1980s. In addition, Fort Zeelandia is home to the Surinamese Museum. Ethnographic artifacts are widely represented in the museum. Archaeology, visual arts, colonial furniture, textiles, and old photographs are all included in its collections and the old commander's home is now the Nola Hatterman Art Academy.
Fort Zeelandia is open Monday to Sunday from 9 a.m to 2 m and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday are closed. Therefore, visitors need to arrange a reasonable time to fully experience one of the Most Beautiful Historical Sites in Suriname.
