Surinam, a small Dutch colony was established in 1650 by Major Anthony Rowse on behalf of the governor of Barbados, Francis Willoughby. In 1651 the English reinforced the abandoned French fort near present-day Paramaribo, calling it Fort Willoughby. In 1667 the Dutch Admiral Abraham Crijnssen took Paramaribo from forces under Lieutenant-Governor William Byam in a battle which lasted only three hours as British munitions were exhausted. Crijnssen also recaptured the Essequibo-Pomeroon Colony[1][2][3] Crijnssen renamed the Surinamese fort Zeelandia.[4][5] Over the years, it started to become obsolete as a military asset and, in 1772, there were even plans to tear it down.[6]

After Surinamese independence in 1975, under the military government of Dési Bouterse in the 1980s, Fort Zeelandia was the location of the "December murders" of 1982 and was used to hold and torture political prisoners.[6][7]

The Surinamese Museum is located in Fort Zeelandia. The museum has a large collection of ethnographica. Its collections contain archeology, visual arts, colonial furniture, textiles and historical photos.[8]

The Nola Hatterman Art Academy is located in the former commander's house.[9]