Fort Nieuw Amsterdam guards the meeting of the Suriname and Commewijne rivers. The Dutch began it in 1734 after deciding Fort Zeelandia was too far upriver to defend the approach to the colony. Its earthworks, old buildings, guns, and grounds now form an open-air museum.
The place later served as a prison, and its history reaches well beyond naval defence. Allow time for the exhibits and for the Suriname-Rivier lightship deteriorating in a wet dock on the grounds. Most visitors include the fort in a river trip from Paramaribo, but it is also reachable by road.