Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam

Fort near Nieuw-Amsterdam, Suriname

Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam

Part of Suriname

Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam

Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam

Coordinates| 5°53′17″N 55°05′30″W﻿ / ﻿5.888056°N 55.091667°W﻿ / 5.888056; -55.091667
Site information
Open to
the public| Yes
Site history
Built| 1747 (1747)
Built by| Society of Suriname

Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam is a fort in Suriname built from 1734 to 1747 at the confluence of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers. It is open to the public as an open-air museum.[1]

## History[edit]

The necessity of improving the fortifications of the colony of Suriname was underscored when French buccaneers under the leadership of Jacques Cassard attacked the colony in 1712. Fort Sommelsdijk, which was situated further upstream the Commewijne River at its confluence with the Cottica River was fortified for this purpose in 1715, but it was clear something more substantial needed to be done to defend the colony against foreign attacks. It was eventually decided to build a new fort at the confluence of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers. When Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam was completed in 1747, Fort Sommelsdijk was downgraded to a military outpost.[2]

Between 1863 and 1967, the fort was used as a prison. It is the location of the decommissioned lightvessel Suriname-Rivier, which is permanently moored in a wet dock inside the fort.[3] After the independence of Suriname, a monument was erected in the fort.[4]

## See also[edit]

* Fort Zeelandia (Paramaribo)
* List of museums in Suriname

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2017-01-09.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
2. ^ Buddingh' 1999, pp. 34–39.
3. ^ "Mijndomein". obsession-magazine.nl.
4. ^ "Monumenten". Suriname.nu (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 June 2022.

## References[edit]

Buddingh', Hans (1999). Geschiedenis van Suriname. Utrecht: Het Spectrum.

## Gallery[edit]

* Cannon near the fort

* Former prison

* Independence monument

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam.

* Fort Nieuw Amsterdam.sr Archived 2014-12-19 at the Wayback Machine (in Dutch)

Authority control databases |

* VIAF

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5°53′17″N 55°05′30″W﻿ / ﻿5.88806°N 55.09167°W﻿ / 5.88806; -55.09167