Fort Zeelandia is Paramaribo's most important museum and its most difficult historic site. The riverside fort passed from English to Dutch control in 1667 and became part of the machinery of the colony. It later served as a military headquarters and prison; fifteen opponents of the military regime were killed here in December 1982.
The Surinaams Museum uses the buildings for exhibitions on archaeology, Indigenous and Maroon cultures, slavery and plantation society, everyday life, and modern history. Give it time rather than treating the courtyard as a photo stop. Check current opening hours with the museum before visiting.