Fort Nieuw-Amsterdam is located in the suburb of the capital of Suriname, 11 kilometers East of Paramaribo. Today this pentagonal fortress is an open-air museum.

The necessity of putting up fortifications appeared in the first third of the 18th century, for protecting the Dutch colonies from the fleet of the foreign enemies. The colonies were agricultural lands, and of course they needed protection. The location for erecting the fort was chosen strategically: at the confluence of the Commewijne and Suriname rivers, close to the fall into the Atlantic ocean. The perimeter of the fort walls connected five bastions, protruding beyond the borders of the fortress, generally, a traditional solution for constructions like this. The Society of Suriname proposed to build the fort. The city Amsterdam took part in the creation of this organization, and therefore the Suriname fortress was named after the Dutch city. The founders were providing their overseas project with resources, work equipment, and sent engineering staff there. The slaves were dealing with the actual building.

The fort has gone through a lot of dramatic events. The British had taken it twice, and in the 19th century, has significantly lost its protective power. In 1872, the barracks were partly reequipped for accommodating prisoners. By 1907, the defensive status of the fortress had been completely lost. However, during the Second World War Nieuw-Amsterdam partially returned to its primary function. The Americans put up an artillery defense line against the German ships in the mouth of the river. Today visitors can see big cannons standing along the coast placed there by the Americans. Later on, in 1967, the only official prison in Suriname occupied the territory of the fort.

Nowadays, Nieuw-Amsterdam isn’t just a historic site and a reminder of the past. It is an administrative centre of the region, a coastal town with a population of about 5 thousand residents. It is situated in the mouth of the Suriname river opposite the capital Paramaribo.