Fort Nieuw Amsterdam

Fort Nieuw Amsterdam stands where the Suriname and Commewijne rivers meet, a large pentagonal earthwork with brick buildings inside built from 1734 to close both rivers to shipping at once, and it now works as an open-air museum with the powder magazine, prison cells and officers' quarters kept and the ramparts walkable. The Commewijne plantation country runs behind it. The fort was taken only once, by a British force in 1804, and from 1863 to 1967 it served as a prison. A cemetery and several plantation buildings stand within the grounds alongside the military structures.

What to look for

• The pentagonal earthworks - the ramparts closing both rivers at their meeting.
• The brick buildings - magazine, cells and quarters inside the walls.
• The confluence - the Suriname and Commewijne meeting below the fort.
• The open-air museum - the site presented across the whole enclosure.

When to go

Year round. The museum keeps set hours and closes on some days. Mornings are cooler for walking the ramparts.

What to expect

Getting there involves a ferry or a long road loop from Paramaribo. Interpretation is largely in Dutch. Parts of the site are overgrown.

Nearby

The Commewijne plantations are behind it, and Paramaribo is west.

Key facts