Review: Fort Zeelandia, Paramaribo, Suriname

Fort Zeelandia is one of the top-rated attractions in Paramaribo, the capital city of Suriname, so I had to check it out on my recent trip to the area. The fort was originally built by the Dutch on the banks of the Suriname River to protect their trading business in the village. Over the years it was conquered by various foreign invaders, as evidenced by the different exhibits found in what is now a historical museum.

Much of the architecture remains intact and the caretakers managed to maintain the authentic atmosphere of decades gone by. It’s beautiful, to say the least. The exhibits are constantly changing at Fort Zeelandia, but you’re guaranteed to learn a lot about local history while also viewing works by local Suriname artists.

The grounds aren’t large, so exploring the museum only takes a couple of hours. It’s certainly worth a trip if you’re in town and I would love to return here one day to see what new exhibitions they might be showing in the future. The cost of entrance was free on the day I arrived, though I’m not entirely sure that’s the case every day.