resort
A resort (North American English) is a self-contained commercial establishment that aims to provide most of a vacationer's needs. This includes food, drink, swimming, accommodation, sports, entertainment and shopping, on the premises. A hotel ...
in Suriname, located in the
Paramaribo District
Paramaribo is a district of Suriname, coextensive with the capital city of Paramaribo.
Paramaribo district has a population of 240,924, almost half the population of the entire country, and an area of 182 km2.
The area was first colon ...
. Its population at the 2012 census was 20,631. The historical centre of Paramaribo is located within the resort. The city centre is mainly in original condition, contains 291 listed monuments, and has of 2002 been designated a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
.
History
Paramaribo was founded in 1613 by Stoffel Albertszoon near the
indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology)
In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often populari ...
village Parmurbo. Around 1665, during the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
occupation, the village was expanded and quickly outranked the earlier settlement of
Torarica
Torarica is the original capital of Suriname. It was settled by Portuguese Jews in 1629. One origin offered for its name is as a Portuguese coinage meaning "Opulent Torah". The Portuguese Jews arrived via Holland and Brazil.grid structure. The reason for using wood was that the absence of stone in the vicinity, and the clay was not suitable for
brick
A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...
s. Only important administrative buildings were built from stone shipped from the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
.
In January 1821, a fire consumed the area around Oranjeplein (current name: Onafhankelijkheidsplein) and Waterkant, the oldest part of the city. More than 400 buildings were lost, and it is the reason why the oldest part of the city centre has many 19th century buildings. In 1832, 46 houses burnt down. The slaves Kodjo, Mentor, and Present were found guilty of
arson
Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...
, and burnt alive.
Even though the centre has been constructed using a wide grid, the houses are spaced relatively close together. The reason is that the
slave
Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...
s, and
freed slaves
A freedman or freedwoman is a person who has been released from slavery, usually by legal means. Historically, slaves were freed by manumission (granted freedom by their owners), emancipation (granted freedom as part of a larger group), or self- ...
lived in little shacks behind the main
façade
A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face".
In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
.
Frimangron
A muddy area to the south of the centre would later be named ''Frimangron'' meaning land of the free men. It was often not found on official maps, but was inhabited by free slaves. In 1772 the neighborhood was finally officially listed as neighbourhood F.
fortress
A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
cathedral, and the world's tallest wooden cathedral.
* Onafhankelijkheidsplein, the Independence Square, which contains the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
and the
Presidential Palace
A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...
among others.
* The
Waterkant
The Waterkant is the oldest and one of the most important streets of Paramaribo, Paramaribo, Suriname. The street is located in the historic Centrum, Paramaribo, centre on the Suriname River, and was the location where ships used to arrive. The ...
, the oldest street of Paramaribo with outstanding architecture near the
Suriname River
The Suriname River ( Dutch: ''Surinamerivier'') is long and flows through the country of Suriname. Its sources are located in the Guiana Highlands on the border between the Wilhelmina Mountains and the Eilerts de Haan Mountains (where it is kn ...
.
*
Garden of Palms
Garden of Palms or Palmgardens ( Dutch: ''Palmentuin'') is a palm tree landscape garden in Paramaribo, Suriname. In addition to tall royal palms, the grounds are home to tropical birds and a "troop" of capuchin monkeys.Keizerstraat, a street where the
Neveh Shalom Synagogue
The Neveh Shalom Synagogue (; ) is a Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue, located in Paramaribo, Suriname. The congregation was established as an Orthodox community who worshipped in the Ashkenazi rite.
History
The lot on Keizerstraat 8 ...
Arya Diwaker
Arya Diwaker (Hindi: आर्य दिवाकर) is a Hindu association that built the biggest mandir (Hindu temple) of Suriname. The temple attracts many visitors, both Hindus and non-Hindus, coming from Suriname and from all over the world ...
Centrumkerk
Centrumkerk is a church of the Dutch Reformed Church of Suriname. It is located on Kerkplein in the Centrum, Paramaribo, centre of Paramaribo. It was the State religion, state church until independence of Suriname in 1975. The Centrumkerk is a mo ...
, the main church of the
Dutch Reformed Church of Suriname
The Dutch Reformed Church of Suriname was founded in 1667–1668 by Rev Basselieres. It was a church of Dutch people, Dutch colonists. There members used to be white settlers and freed slaves. Most church activities were in Paramaribo. Until 1850 ...
Foresters Friendly Society
The Foresters Friendly Society is a British friendly society which was formed in 1834 as the Ancient Order of Foresters. As of 31 December 2016, the society had approximately 75,000 members.
Its head office is located in Southampton, England.
...
.
*
Elisabeth Samson House
The Elisabeth Samson House is a residential building which used to be owned by Elisabeth Samson, the first Afro-Surinamese millionaire. It is located on Wagenwegstraat in the centre of Paramaribo, Suriname, and is a monument. After Samson's death, ...
, the house of
Elisabeth Samson
Elisabeth Samson (c. 1715 – 21 April 1771) was an Afro-Surinamese coffee plantation owner.
She was born in about 1715 in Paramaribo to a freed slave, known as Mariana. All of her other siblings had been born as slaves and were manumitted, ema ...
.
Gallery
Fort Zeelandia.jpg, Fort Zeelandia
Paramaribo - Zeelandiaweg 7 20161002.jpg , Officer's House on the Zeelandiaweg
Paramaribo - Onafhankelijkheidsplein 2 20160922.jpg, Independence Square (House Du Plessis)
Paramaribo - Onafhankelijkheidsplein 3 20160922.jpg, Independence Square (Ministry of Finance)
Paramaribo - Henck Arronstraat 12 20160926.jpg, Henck Arronstraat: Bishop's House
Paramaribo - Henck Arronstraat 22-24 - St Petrus en Pauluskathedraal 20160925.jpg, Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral
Paramaribo - Keizerstraat 82 - synagoge 20161001.jpg, Synagoge Neve Shalom
File:P1060656a.jpg, Arya Diwaker temple
Overzicht van de voorgevels en rechter zijgevel - Paramaribo - 20378053 - RCE.jpg, Waterkant
Stadsgezicht vanaf de toren van het ministerie van Financiën, richting Mr. de Mirandastraat - 20650748 - RCE.jpg, de Mirandastraat (1968)
'Het postkantoor in Paramaribo, Bestanddeelnr 252-6132.jpg, Post Office (1946)
KITLV - 37C300 - Beranger, P. - Paramaribo on the river of Surinam, dedicated with the consent of His Majesty the King of the Netherlands - Offset - 1817-02-15.tiff, Paramaribo from the Suriname River (1817)