Monday 20th.
Both Otto & Ester are without transport so we took the local Taxi (Robbie) into Paramaribo to have a look round and do the tourist stuff.
In 1613 the two Dutchmen Dirck Cleaszoon van Sanen and Nicolaas Baliestel founded a trading company near the Indian village of ‘Parmirbo’. This settlement on the west bank of the Suriname river, 23 km from the Atlantic Ocean, was the basis for the present Paramaribo, capital of the Republic Suriname.
Our first stop was the huge downtown market, by far the biggest we have seen on our travels (no I didn’t get up at 06.30 to go to market in Trinidad!) Here in Paramaribo there were stalls for all manner of home produce. Masses of vegetables, herbs, fruit, salad items, then fish, meat (all chicken) and then crafts such as table linen, and fabrics. Nearby fast food stalls with drinks and so on.
We then wandered along Keizerstraat to the Tourist Information area and picked up a map. We fully enjoyed the downtown area . It has a number of old Colonial buildings including the Presidential Palace. Most of the architecture is wood since the only bricks available were those which formed ’ballast’ in the ships arriving to trade. The rest the wooden buildings have only their foundations made from the bricks consequently, some are in ruins and some refurbished but all mingled with new. There is a palpable aura of a rich Dutch heritage. It’s a real melting pot of a second world country trying to catch up with the first.
Paramaribo has World Heritage Status and is billed as the ‘Beating heart of South America’ so to give you a taste of what we saw:
The photos include the Hindu Mosque and Jewish Synagogue next to one another, this is the only place in the world where the two religions are found so close!
The Military Police building where we spent a few hours the other day on a wild goose chase.
St Peter & Pauls’ Cathedral on Wulfinghstraat which we visited with Esther the other day. This is reputedly the largest wooded building in the Americas.
The Ministry of Justice and Politics on Henck Arronstraat.
Indepence Square. The most prominent building here is the presidental palace. Which is a white building constructed in the early eighteenth century with later additions. The building and the private garden behind it are only accessible to the public on Independence day: November 25.
In front of the Ministry of Finance is a statue of Suriname's most famous politician Johan Adolf Pengel, a prime-minister of the sixties.
I include Fort Zeelandia here but we had a separate visit with Esther, hence the long blog entry. It was built by the French, improved by English and later used by Dutch colonists. In 1667 it received its current name. In the twentieth century the fort was used as a museum. From 1981 to 1992 it was used by the Surinamese army as a military base. Now the army has withdrawn and it is a fine tourist attraction.
Next the Waterfront Boulevard. The buildings here are all ’modern’ A great fire in 1821 did for most of them and those that survived got wiped out by another fire in 1832. The rebuilding was down to the rich merchants and plantation owners. Duplessis House or the House for the Environment (Govnt Secretariat) According to the Tourist information board this underwent restoration 2000-2001. The name Duplessis House refers to Suzanne Duplessis owner of the plantation Nijd en Spilk, who lived here from 1783-1795. She was allegedly one of Surinames' cruellest women. After her death the government bought the house and from 1796 has used it as the secretariat for over a century.
Further along are the remains of a later fire at the old Police building which was claimed by fire in 1980 when the army overtook the government.
Both Otto & Ester are without transport so we took the local Taxi (Robbie) into Paramaribo to have a look round and do the tourist stuff.
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| Fort Zeelandia Courtyard |
In 1613 the two Dutchmen Dirck Cleaszoon van Sanen and Nicolaas Baliestel founded a trading company near the Indian village of ‘Parmirbo’. This settlement on the west bank of the Suriname river, 23 km from the Atlantic Ocean, was the basis for the present Paramaribo, capital of the Republic Suriname.
Our first stop was the huge downtown market, by far the biggest we have seen on our travels (no I didn’t get up at 06.30 to go to market in Trinidad!) Here in Paramaribo there were stalls for all manner of home produce. Masses of vegetables, herbs, fruit, salad items, then fish, meat (all chicken) and then crafts such as table linen, and fabrics. Nearby fast food stalls with drinks and so on.
We then wandered along Keizerstraat to the Tourist Information area and picked up a map. We fully enjoyed the downtown area . It has a number of old Colonial buildings including the Presidential Palace. Most of the architecture is wood since the only bricks available were those which formed ’ballast’ in the ships arriving to trade. The rest the wooden buildings have only their foundations made from the bricks consequently, some are in ruins and some refurbished but all mingled with new. There is a palpable aura of a rich Dutch heritage. It’s a real melting pot of a second world country trying to catch up with the first.
Paramaribo has World Heritage Status and is billed as the ‘Beating heart of South America’ so to give you a taste of what we saw:
The photos include the Hindu Mosque and Jewish Synagogue next to one another, this is the only place in the world where the two religions are found so close!
The Military Police building where we spent a few hours the other day on a wild goose chase.
St Peter & Pauls’ Cathedral on Wulfinghstraat which we visited with Esther the other day. This is reputedly the largest wooded building in the Americas.
The Ministry of Justice and Politics on Henck Arronstraat.
Indepence Square. The most prominent building here is the presidental palace. Which is a white building constructed in the early eighteenth century with later additions. The building and the private garden behind it are only accessible to the public on Independence day: November 25.
In front of the Ministry of Finance is a statue of Suriname's most famous politician Johan Adolf Pengel, a prime-minister of the sixties.
I include Fort Zeelandia here but we had a separate visit with Esther, hence the long blog entry. It was built by the French, improved by English and later used by Dutch colonists. In 1667 it received its current name. In the twentieth century the fort was used as a museum. From 1981 to 1992 it was used by the Surinamese army as a military base. Now the army has withdrawn and it is a fine tourist attraction.
Next the Waterfront Boulevard. The buildings here are all ’modern’ A great fire in 1821 did for most of them and those that survived got wiped out by another fire in 1832. The rebuilding was down to the rich merchants and plantation owners. Duplessis House or the House for the Environment (Govnt Secretariat) According to the Tourist information board this underwent restoration 2000-2001. The name Duplessis House refers to Suzanne Duplessis owner of the plantation Nijd en Spilk, who lived here from 1783-1795. She was allegedly one of Surinames' cruellest women. After her death the government bought the house and from 1796 has used it as the secretariat for over a century.
Further along are the remains of a later fire at the old Police building which was claimed by fire in 1980 when the army overtook the government.
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